Ask the Author: Gabriel Finkelstein

“Ask me a question.” Gabriel Finkelstein

Answered Questions (5)

Sort By:

An error occurred while sorting questions for author Gabriel Finkelstein.

If you could travel to any fictional book world, where would you go and what would you do there?

Gabriel Finkelstein I'd save Rabbit Angstrom's baby. Maybe that would prevent the 60s.

flag

like
Comment

Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

Gabriel Finkelstein My favorite fictional couple is Bouvard and Pécuchet.

flag

like
Comment

Those look like interesting references. I see you're writing about the emergence of neurology. That is interesting. So are you the new Oliver Sacks?

Gabriel Finkelstein I wish! Actually, he did send me a note before he died that he had bought my book. He was such a nice guy.

I wrote less about neurology (the clinical side) than about neuroscience (the experimental side). Unlike the British and French, which blended the two fields, scientists in 19th century Germany generally avoided medical research as too practical. This academic elitism led to the loss of their lead in neuroscience after the turn of the century. I've written about the dangers of overspecialization here:

https://www.academia.edu/1539926/Why_...

flag