Neuroscience : a historical introduction /

The field of neuroscience is broad, so how does one begin learning about it? This relatively condensed book takes a historical approach to explain how the field began and to generate an appreciation for neuroscience overall. Glickstein (emer., Univ. College London, UK) repeatedly stresses that, like art, music, and other sciences, neuroscience is a fallible yet valuable human creation. The 21-chapter book begins with a review of the nervous system. Following chapters cover electrical and chemical transmission, the senses, reflexes and movement, memory and learning, motivation, language, neurological disorders, personality and emotion, mental illness, and consciousness. Some chapters are definitely more descriptive than others. Interspersed are a wide variety of images such as photographs and portraits of scientists, anatomical diagrams, and examples of historical monographs. A 14-page list of references and a lengthy index support the text. Glickstein wrote this book based on his years of experience teaching neuroscience at multiple universities, and his own enthusiasm for the subject is reflected in the text. This is indeed an excellent introduction to neuroscience. --Carrie Leigh Iwema, University of Pittsburgh