Human beings have long been intrigued by the brain, the organ whose functions include regulating the body's metabolism, controlling movement, generating thought, and storing memories. Topics covered in A Short History of the Brain include prehistoric brain surgery; the discoveries made by Islamic scholars during the medieval period; why Renaissance artists incorporated brain imagery into their paintings; how the electric eel stimulated brain research during the Enlightenment; the impact of evolutionary theory on concepts of brain function in the 19th century; the role Sigmund Freud played in the development of neurology; the invention of the brain scan; how we came to understand ourselves as 'neurochemical selves' in the 21st century.
Based on his acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series, Geoff Bunn's A Short History of the Brain will fascinate anyone interested in learning how we embarked on the journey to understand the most complex entity in the known universe.
