Full Description
This book traces the intertwining story of electricity and neuroscience from ancient times to the late 20th century. Throughout the book, basic concepts of electricity, electromagnetism, and neuroscience are addressed and illustrated. It is replete with remarkable discoveries and colorful characters that dramatically changed human culture. Electricity and neuroscience are topics that have fascinated science historians for centuries. Yet, it has only been over the past several decades that medical science historians have appreciated the close interrelationship of these two topics. Robert Baloh uses a historical context of discovery to provide an ideal framework for understanding modern concepts of electricity and neuroscience. The stories of these pioneering researchers can be inspirational for those beginning a career in neuroscience as well as for more experienced researchers.
Contents
The Mystery of Electromagnetism.- The Early Age of Electrotherapy.- Animal Electricity.- Electricity and Magnetism - Two Sides of the Same Coin.- Electricity and the Nervous System.- Electrotherapy and Early Neurology.- Electromagnetic Waves.- Ether, Cathode Rays and Electrons.- The Battle of Electric Currents.- Electrophysiology in the 20th Century.- Brain Waves and Brain Stimulation.- Quantum theory and Modern Neuroscience.- Overview.
