Damn the alligators - full speed ahead

Book Description

A remarkable tale of how a lone researcher in the Spanish countryside discovered how brain cells communicate.

Two doctors, the Spaniard Cajal and the Italian Golgi, were racing against each other to find out what brain cells looked like and how they managed to communicate with one another. Both did their most important research in labs set up on their kitchen tables, for lack of better facilities; and both made landmark findings that led to their jointly receiving the 1906 Nobel Prize. Yet one man would find that neurons communicated over a gap, later named the "synapse," while the other would die convinced that every brain cell connected to the next. From Parkinson's to neurosurgery, from the mechanics of memory to clinical depression, modern medicine is ever indebted to the one who interpreted the elusive—and rather extraordinary—anatomy of the nerve cell. This is the story not only of one of the nineteenth century's greatest discoveries but also of the frailty, perseverance, and creativity of human beings. 13 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Neuroscience history.......2007-05-13

One of the best ways to learn a science is to learn the history of that science. Like "In Search of Memory", "Nerve Endings" is a biographical work about the life and scientific contributions of a Nobel prizing winning neuroscientist. The author documents the 19th century debate about the existence and purpose of the synapse and the personal rivalry between Dr. Santiago Ramon y Cajal and Dr. Camillo Golgi. I would recommend this book to any neuroscience student.

On the shoulders of giants.......2007-01-07

In this engaging and well written book, part history of science, part biography, Rapport focuses on the intellectual war that eventually led to the discovery of the neuron theory. The neuron theory - the idea that the nervous system consists of discrete cellular units (neurons) - was one of the key, early discoveries of neuroscience. It has radically accelerated our understanding of how the brain works and it has since had wide-ranging implications, for neurosurgery, psychiatry and other fields.

At heart of the story lie two characters: a charismatic Spanish artist and scientist, Santiago Ramon y Cajal and an equally brilliant, but dogmatic, Italian scientist, Camillo Golgi. These two men (both of whom were awarded the Nobel prize in 1906) were the representatives of two opposing scientific camps who were engaged in an acrimonious intellectual battle during the second half of the 19th century. The point of contention was the structural anatomy of the nervous system. Cajal represented the `neuronist' camp, who claimed that the nervous system consisted of individual cellular units that communicated with one another across tiny gaps (these gaps are called synapses). In contrast, Golgi headed the `reticularists' who held that the entire nervous system was linked in one giant network, that there were no individual cells that were separated from each other.

Besides making many important discoveries in the field of biology (discovery of the Golgi apparatus, the Golgi tendon organ) Camillo Golgi also invented a method for preparing slides of nervous tissue - called silver (Golgi) staining. Silver staining allowed scientists to begin making detailed analyses of nervous tissue for the first time, using light microscopes. Golgi contributed much to the early study of neurohistology, but he confused certain branching neuronal processes (the axon collaterals) for widely ramifying protrusions that he thought connected the entire nervous system in one large network. He used this observation to support his erroneous reticularist theory; at the same time, Cajal was using and improving Golgi's silver staining method to develop the opposing (and as it turns out, correct) theory of neuronal structure. Cajal was a visionary genius, "fascinated by the bewitchment of the infinitely small." His contribution to neuroanatomy is immeasurable. He used his considerable artistic skills to complete extremely detailed drawings of the nervous system that were used in textbooks for years to come. Unlike Golgi, Cajal did not think that the nerve cells were all connected in one diffuse net. He deduced the existence of the synaptic gap from the way that the terminal axons of presynaptic neurons and the dendrites of postsynaptic neurons appeared to fit each other so well (the synapse was not actually seen until the arrival of electron microscopy in the first half of the twentieth century).
But more than helping to clarify the anatomy of the nervous system, Cajal was remarkably prescient in putting forth theories about the physiology of the nervous system as well. He formulated the law of dynamic polarization, which says that the current flow within neurons is unidirectional - electrical signals are received at the dendrites, sent to the cell body and then conducted along the length of the axon. (This law is actually not quite correct but it still remains a basic principle of neural function and is presented in all neuroscience textbooks). Cajal also speculated about the chemical nature of inter-neuronal communication and made predictions about the ways in which neurons grow from their neuroblast precursors.
The significance of Cajal's work was by no means immediate, among other reasons because of national chauvinism. Cajal was a Spaniard and in 19th century science it was mainly Germany, Italy and France who dictated the intellectual landscape. The amazing thing about Cajal is that he made many of his great discoveries working in solitude, his important publications being ignored for years.

This book is a great companion-piece to Elliot Valenstein's "The War of the Soups and Sparks" and should be read prior to that book as it covers chronologically earlier events. Both books will be of great interest to those involved in the neurosciences. Both books also do a great job of showing how science develops in particular sociohistorical and technological contexts and how it is shaped by the personalities and temperaments of its practitioners.

An Interesting and Easy Read.......2006-07-23

This book provides a highly readable review of the emergence of the so-called "Neuron Doctrine." Roughly speaking this doctrine claims that neurons are anatomically distinct and constitute independent functional units. In revised forms the Neuron Doctrine and related principles like "the Law of Dynamic Depolarization" still appear to form part of neuroscience's theoretical back-bone. (As witnessed by their explicit introduction in text books like Kandel et als "Principles of Neural Science."

The book focuses on the life and work of Cajal, to whom early evidence for the Doctrine is often attributed, and on Cajal's controversy with Golgi. The latter was a "reticularist" who thought that neurons form a continuous network or "reticulum."

While "Nerve Endings" is a fun and easy read, readers who are interested in the precise content of the Neuron Doctrine, how it has been interpreted in different ways, and how it is to a certain extent currently being revised may want to look elsewhere, as there is relatively little discussion of this. (See e.g. Bullock et al "The Neuron Doctrine, Redux", Science Vol 310, 4 Nov 2005. Jones "Golgi, Cajal and the Neuron Doctrine", Journal of the History of the Neurosciences Vol 8, no 2, 1999)

I would also have preferred to have references to litterature in the main text rather than have to look up the page numbers in the final "notes" section.

These are minor complaints, however, and the book is certainly a fine introduction to the life of a great scientist and an exciting period in the history of neuroscience!

History in the making, the discovery of the synapse.......2006-02-20

A very well written, and nicely illustrated history of the early years of research on the synapse, illuminating the differences in opinion between Ramon y Cajal and Golgi. Which controversy, in the end, has overshadowed the multitude of work Golgi did.

An intriguing survey of parallel lives and very different perspectives.......2005-10-05

Dr. Richard Rappaport's study of the discovery of the nerve synapse Nerve Endings also presents the story of two doctors who shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1906 yet were separated by geographical and psychological differences. The parallel lives and discoveries of Santiago Ramon y Cajal and Camillo Golgi provides an intriguing survey of two men whose similar discoveries and investigative processes led to the science of neurosurgery and better understanding of neurological diseases. An intriguing survey of parallel lives and very different perspectives.

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Interesting view on science in another age
Excellent

Recollections of My Life
Santiago Ramón Cajal
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0262680602

Book Description

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) made prolific and lasting contributions to understanding "the life of the infinitely small." Widely thought of as the founder of neuroscience, Cajal made remarkable explorations into the organization and function of the nervous system. His work is still referred to more than that of any other scientist in the field.

W. Maxwell Cowan's foreword to this edition conveys the excitement and energy of Cajal's life and endeavors, the liveliness and flamboyance of his engagements with the microscope. Cowan surveys Cajal's salient discoveries, noting that almost every important conceptual issue in neurobiology was foreshadowed in Cajal's work: the initial description of the climbing fibers of the cerebellum, the discovery of the growth cone, the concept of the "dynamic polarity" of the neurom an anticipation of the later discovery of axonal transport, and the prediction that new synapses may be formed throughout life to serve as a physical basis for learning and memory.

W. Maxwell Cowen is Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting view on science in another age.......2002-02-20

This is an interesting but somewhat strange book. It provides a really amazing view of what it was like to do science in those days, in particular about the various political maneuvering that was required to navigate the old spanish academic system. It also provides interesting insight into the personality of one of the greatest pioneers of cell biology. Unfortunately, part of his personality involves telling us all how great he was, so sometimes I found the book a little tiresome to read. I was also kind of disappointed in that it took a long time before he got around to covering the time when he actually made his important contributions to science. Still, for anyone interested in cell or neurobiology, or in the history of science, I would recommend this book fairly strongly as something they will enjoy.

Excellent.......2000-06-18

This book contained many valuable insights into the life of one of the most influential neuroscientists ever. This book was an excellent read.

New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates

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New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) is widely thought of as the founder of modern neuroscience; and his work is more frequently cited than that of any other scientist in the field. In this seminal book, Cajal summarized for a broad audience the modem cellular view of brain organization. This clear, direct, and accurate translation provides an excellent introduction to Cajal's work, making accessible for the first time the ideas that led Cajal to favor the neuron doctrine that revolutionized neuroscience and won for him (with his rival, Camillo Golgi) the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1906.

New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates presents the histological evidence for the laws governing the form and connections of nerve cells. This work and the principles that emerged from it formed the cornerstone for our current understanding of how the nervous system is organized. The book also presents in simplified form the ideas contained in Cajal's famous survey of vertebrate neurohistology, Histologie du Systeme Nerveux de l'Homme et des Vertébrés, unquestionably the most important book ever published in neuroanatomy, and which to this day has not been translated and published in English because of its extraordinary length.

Neely Swanson is a scholar of romance languages. Larry W. Swanson is Senior Member of the Salk Institute, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego, and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Don Quixote of the Microscope. An Interpretation of the Spanish Savant Santiago Ramon Y Cajal (1852-1934)

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Don Quixote of the Microscope. An Interpretation of the Spanish Savant Santiago Ramon Y Cajal (1852-1934)
Harley Williams
Manufacturer: Jonathan Cape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUUEFI

Vacation Stories: FIVE SCIENCE FICTION TALES

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Vacation Stories: FIVE SCIENCE FICTION TALES
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 025207355X

Book Description

A world-famous neurobiologist, Santiago Ramón y Cajal won the Nobel Prize for his scientific research in 1906. The previous year, he published these stories: five ingenious tales that take a microscopic look at the nature, allure, and danger of scientific curiosity. Ramón y Cajal waited almost twenty years to publish these stories because he feared they would compromise his scientific career. Featuring the cutting-edge science of the mid-1880s (microscopy, bacteriology, and hypnosis), they probe the seductive power that proceeds from scientific knowledge and explore how the pursuit of such knowledge alternately redeems and ensnares humanity. Here revenge is disguised as research and common fraud as moral purification. Critical thought vies with moribund tradition and stifling religion for a hold on the human spirit; rigid divisions of class and wealth dissolve before the indiscriminate assault of microbes. One man's faith in science gives him the tools to outwit superstition and win the true love and happiness for which he has sacrificed. Another's bitterness and disillusion are cured by a supernatural intervention that melds the epiphany of A Christmas Carol with the macabre detail of an Edgar Allan Poe story. Now available for the first time in English, Ramón y Cajal's stories reveal a great deal about human nature and the collusion of ambition and greed that prey on the hapless and thoughtless, whether in the name of science, religion, or the state. Laura Otis, whose dual background in literature and science echoes that of the author, has crafted a sparkling translation that captures the wit and imagination of the original.

Cajal's Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System (HISTORY OF NEUROSCIENCE)

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Cajal's Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System (HISTORY OF NEUROSCIENCE)
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Histology of the Nervous System of Man and Vertebrates (History of Neuroscience, No 6) (2 Volume Set)

ASIN: 0195065166

Book Description

This book is a reprint of an English translation of Cajal's original work, with abundant notes and commentaries by the editor. This text describes Cajal's fundamental contributions to neuroscience, which continue to be important today. It accurately details Cajal's ideas and data, and provides readers with the opportunity to learn what Cajal thought about his research career and the significance of his observations. Excerpts from Tello's memorial lectures also provide a contemporary view of Cajal's work.

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Studies on vertebrate neurogenesis
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
Manufacturer: Thomas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Asi era Cajal (Coleccion austral ; no. 1621)

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Asi era Cajal (Coleccion austral ; no. 1621)
Enriqueta L Rodriguez
Manufacturer: Espasa-Calpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Cajal (Obras de Otero Pedrayo)
Jose Maria Lopez Piinero
Manufacturer: Debate
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Binding: Paperback

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Cajal y Barcelona (Coleccion historica de ciencias de la salud)

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Cajal y Barcelona (Coleccion historica de ciencias de la salud)
Diego Ferrer
Manufacturer: Fundacion Uriach 1838
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shoppers' Guide

Great Book

READ LABELS AND COMPARE

Picture Perfect - Great Book

Excellent companion book to PICTURE PERFECT WEIGHT LOSS!

Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper's Guide : Supermarket Choices for Permanent Weight Loss
Howard M. Shapiro
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss

Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Cookbook: More Than 150 Delicious Recipes for Permanent Weight Loss

Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan

Picture Perfect Prescription: An Easy Program To Feeling Younger, Healthier, Sexier, And More Energetic

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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1579544169

Book Description

One dry bagel or an English muffin and jam? An envelope of chicken noodle soup or a can of black bean soup? Nationally acclaimed author Dr. Howard Shapiro will help you choose!

This invaluable companion to the best-selling Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss will lead you straight to the great-tasting brand-name foods you need to help you lose weight for good.

Dr. Shapiro shows you how easy it is to choose healthy foods that you will love-- the ones that fit into your lifestyle, whether you skip meals, eat on the run, or love to spend time in your kitchen. With Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper's Guide, deprivation and dieting will become things of the past. You'll never want to go to the supermarket without it!

Customer Reviews:

Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shoppers' Guide.......2006-08-06

This little book offers good suggestions for shopping for ordinary foods that help with weight loss. I found it helpful in starting my weight loss program.

Great Book.......2005-07-20

Another great tool from Dr. Shapiro! Small enough to take with you to the store!

READ LABELS AND COMPARE.......2003-01-01

Really a no-brainer. All he essentially says is to read labels and compare calories per serving. Most products whether listed as "low cholesterol" or "low fat", etc. are not that much different in calories than their counterparts without these claims.

I do disagree with a couple things he says. Like "peanut butter" is ok for a spread. At 190 calories for 2 tbsp. (he says), it's pretty high in calories. He fails to mention that to make it spreadable, icing sugar is added!!! Read the label if you don't believe me. Only "pure" peanut butter from a health food store is better----because it contains only peanuts and you can usually watch them make it right in front of your eyes. Even soups have unnecessary ADDED suger. Why, I have no idea. And if they leave OUT the salt or sugar, the price dramatically goes up!!!! Another rip-off by companies for people trying to lose weight.

Also, he claims the amount of salt doesn't make any difference to weight. Well, I can notice a BIG difference when I eat anything salty. I retain alot of water because of it. My hands and feet both swell up the next day.

And one important point he seems to be forgetting. People mostly choose things that are fast, easy and cheap when they are in a hurry. They don't read labels and compare calories. You could spend hours and hours shopping and reading labels the next time you go to the grocery store. Time is not a luxury for most people.

Picture Perfect - Great Book.......2002-10-24

My purpose in writing this review is to let others know whether or not in my opinion, the book being reviewed is worth trading their hard-earned cash for. In this case, my opinion is a resounding "Yes." If you're shopping today, put this book in your cart and run to the checkout.

This book is a "little nugget." It is about 4 x 7 inches which should easily fit into a woman's average-sized handbag for easy reference. But, good news, this isn't a book that you need to tote with you to the supermarket. Dr. Shapiro shares some very simple principles that if you pay attention to, you can shop without any kind of guide and fill you grocery cart full of weight-conscious selections. I have already begun to use some of the principles Dr. Shapiro suggested.

Basically, the book is filled with good, common sense. Two things I found extremely helpful were his discussions on peanut-butter and on drinks we buy to swallow. He dispelled a common peanut butter "myth" and makes us aware that we have a choice between chewing our calories or swigging them down.

Dr. Shapiro's book also has helpful little hints and sidebars with comparisons in the book that are absolutely eye-opening. There is a small calorie-counter section in the back, if you want one.
By the way, Dr. Shapiro's tone in the book is light and refreshing. It makes you want to make the best decisions for yourself.

Excellent companion book to PICTURE PERFECT WEIGHT LOSS!.......2002-08-15

Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shoppers Guide is the companion book to Dr. Shapiro's original book Picture Perfect Weight Loss (PPWL).

The book PPWL uses visual pictures to help readers realize the differences in calories between items. For example, you could eat one black and white cookie or eat a whole box of fudge pops!
The intent of the book PPWL is to help you become aware of your food choices in order to make healthier choices and/or lose weight.

The PPWL Shopper's Guide takes the information from the original book one step further by giving you brand name items to look for in your grocery store. The guide does not show the stunning pictures like the original book does. Instead it "walks" you through the supermarket aisles and helps you make good choices.

It's like having Dr. Shapiro or one of his assistants with you. At the beginning of the book Shapiro recaps the PPWL program. Then he teaches you how to read food labels. Next you are given a list of anytime foods. These are items to keep around all the time. Fruits and veggies head the list. But there are also some surprises, like tootsie pops, and frozen desserts.

Item by item, Dr. Shapiro walks you throught the grocery store and helps you fill your cart with delicious, nutritious foods that will keep the pounds off. You learn what to look for in the dairy section, frozen food aisle, meat area, bread shelf etc. Depriviation and dieting are things of the past! You can eat well, lose weight and enjoy by making simple changes!

Though smaller than many books the PPWL Shopper's Guide is not pocketsized. Its a book you would be more likely to read at home and then go shopping. I would like to see Dr. Shapiro put out an additional book. A tiny brand name shoppers guide that you could tuck in your pocket and use at the store. This book has that information but so much additional info that sizewise its more for home use and to make a grocery list from. Hopefully, Dr. Shapiro will put out a condensed, handy to carry version in the future.

The book is an excellent source of information and will help you make the best supermarket choices to improve your health and or achieve permanent weight loss!

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The Food of Paris: Authentic Recipes from Parisian Bistros and Restaurants
Marie-Noel Rio
Manufacturer: Periplus Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Food of Venice, The: Authentic Recipes from the City of Romance

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The Food of Vietnam: Authentic Recipes from the Heart of Indochina (Periplus World Cookbooks)

ASIN: 9625939911

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