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Beyond the Zonules of Zinn by David Bainbridge
In his latest book, David Bainbridge combines an otherworldly journey through the central nervous system with an accessible and entertaining account of how the brain's anatomy has often misled anatomists about its function. Bainbridge uses the structure of the brain to set his book apart from the many volumes that focus on brain function. He shows that for hundreds of years, natural philosophers have been interested in the gray matter inside our skulls, but all they had to go on was its structure. Almost every knob, protrusion, canal, and crease was named before anyone had an inkling of what it did--a kind of biological terra incognita with many weird and wonderful names: the zonules of Zinn, the obex ("the most Scrabble-friendly word in all of neuroanatomy"), the aqueduct of Sylvius, the tract of Goll.
This uniquely accessible approach lays out what is known about the brain (its structure), what we can hope to know (its function), and what we may never know (its evolution). Along the way Bainbridge tells lots of wonderful stories about the "two pounds of blancmange" within our skulls, and tells them all with wit and style.
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First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 3, 2008
Bainbridge is a veterinary anatomist and fills the book with lost of juicy comparative anatomy. He is an aesthete and a lover of words. This quote says it all:
From p.195, referring to the epithalamus: "...despite its colorful nature, it barely gets a mention in most other books about the brain. That is the wonderful thing about writing your own book: you can concentrate on the weird minutiae that fascinate you and skim over the crucial but boring stuff."
From p.195, referring to the epithalamus: "...despite its colorful nature, it barely gets a mention in most other books about the brain. That is the wonderful thing about writing your own book: you can concentrate on the weird minutiae that fascinate you and skim over the crucial but boring stuff."
August 27, 2009
Despite the unwieldy title, Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain by David Bainbridge does quite a good job explaining neuroanatomy and the various functions of the different parts of the brain in clear and entertaining language. Bainbridge also delves into brain evolution, and fetal development.
Overall, the book is quite good. My only critique is that the illustrations are vastly oversimplified to the point of meaninglessness. Basically a series of ovals are used to represent brain anatomy. I’m sure ovals are easy to make on a computer, but really, a bit of effort to make them more accurate would have gone a long way towards supporting the text.
Bainbridge has a quirky fascination with the etymology of the names given to different features of the brain, thus the title of the book. In case you were wondering (and I know you are) the Zonules of Zinn are a ring of fibrous strands which connect the inside of the eye to the lens. Muscles pulling on the Zonules change the shape of the lens allowing your eye to focus so you can read this captivating review.
Overall, the book is quite good. My only critique is that the illustrations are vastly oversimplified to the point of meaninglessness. Basically a series of ovals are used to represent brain anatomy. I’m sure ovals are easy to make on a computer, but really, a bit of effort to make them more accurate would have gone a long way towards supporting the text.
Bainbridge has a quirky fascination with the etymology of the names given to different features of the brain, thus the title of the book. In case you were wondering (and I know you are) the Zonules of Zinn are a ring of fibrous strands which connect the inside of the eye to the lens. Muscles pulling on the Zonules change the shape of the lens allowing your eye to focus so you can read this captivating review.
April 10, 2016
I can find really no fault in this book… This is no classic neuroanatomy text presenting information in an often dry and inaccessible format... No, this is a journey through ones central nervous system with a healthy dose of the witty and the weird.
It assumes little knowledge and is a great start point for anyone interested in the brain and its wonder.
An excellent read which will undoubtedly be in my top ten for the year.
June 6, 2008
Readable and interesting. I miss it now that it's done. Time to find more brain books ...
June 7, 2021
Part historical overview, part etymological deep dive and part anatomical tour of the brain, this book revels in its subject and enjoys pointing out (my favourite quote from the book):
"Never again in human experience would we have the opportunity to catalog such an interesting object so precisely in such complete ignorance."
It does all this with a breezy, fun style that is accessible and irreverent but remains precise and informative, even for someone who works in the subject area. There were genuine laugh-out-loud moments for me. I particularly like that it spends time on parts of the brain and nervous system that often don’t get as much love as the cortex in most popular and not-so-popular examinations of the brain. Five stars for sure.
I read this book for pleasure, but it ended being quite useful for a post over on my blog for thing Neuro/science/fiction: https://neurontosomething.wordpress.c...
"Never again in human experience would we have the opportunity to catalog such an interesting object so precisely in such complete ignorance."
It does all this with a breezy, fun style that is accessible and irreverent but remains precise and informative, even for someone who works in the subject area. There were genuine laugh-out-loud moments for me. I particularly like that it spends time on parts of the brain and nervous system that often don’t get as much love as the cortex in most popular and not-so-popular examinations of the brain. Five stars for sure.
I read this book for pleasure, but it ended being quite useful for a post over on my blog for thing Neuro/science/fiction: https://neurontosomething.wordpress.c...
December 27, 2009
This is one of those books that I wish I had a better memory for. I felt that I wanted to cram it all in and found myself rereading passages so as to try and not forget them. That said, Bainbridge did a wonderful job of "dumbing it down" for the common person to read. With typical British wit, he takes on the heavy topic of the evolution of the central nervous system, and had me laughing hysterically without notice. Being a veterinarian, there is mention of all types of creatures and their brain constructs in comparison with the human brain. This was really a well written book.
Since reading this book, I have been exposed to a few of the topics brought up in this book such as a report about synaesthesia on the BBC world report podcast that I listen to. This is something which would have gone right over my head before. It was nice to tune in and get the whole gist of the story.
Since reading this book, I have been exposed to a few of the topics brought up in this book such as a report about synaesthesia on the BBC world report podcast that I listen to. This is something which would have gone right over my head before. It was nice to tune in and get the whole gist of the story.
April 3, 2009
This is a very well written account of how neuroanatomy. The author puts what can be a fairly difficult subject into context by describing neurodevelopment in a tail to head direction. There is a heavy emphasis on comparative evolutionary relationships between the nervous systems of other animals and of course, humans.
Bainbridge is a veterinarian and gives lectures on the subject of anatomy. He is well positioned to explain relationships which help build long lasting recollection and understanding concerning this topic. He is a very gifted and readable author and interjects quite a bit of medical history in his stories as well.
I highly recommend this book for laypersons and neuroscience students alike.
Bainbridge is a veterinarian and gives lectures on the subject of anatomy. He is well positioned to explain relationships which help build long lasting recollection and understanding concerning this topic. He is a very gifted and readable author and interjects quite a bit of medical history in his stories as well.
I highly recommend this book for laypersons and neuroscience students alike.
July 3, 2015
A well-written, completely with to-the-reader commentary, tour of the brain. As an anatomist, there was a lot of description of the brain, names, descriptions of physical shape, appearance, connections, etc.
As I hope to never have to see a brain, let alone pick through and identify the structures, this was only slightly interesting. But I thoroughly enjoyed the information on how the brain evolved, how the fetus assembles the brain, chemical descriptions of diseases and damage, etc. All very interesting, if a bit above my head (har, har).
Based on his written tone and style, I think Dr. Bainbridge must be an enthralling lecturer.
As I hope to never have to see a brain, let alone pick through and identify the structures, this was only slightly interesting. But I thoroughly enjoyed the information on how the brain evolved, how the fetus assembles the brain, chemical descriptions of diseases and damage, etc. All very interesting, if a bit above my head (har, har).
Based on his written tone and style, I think Dr. Bainbridge must be an enthralling lecturer.
December 30, 2015
I enjoyed this book nearly as much as Life on the Edge.
This is a well written, entertaining, but mostly thought-provoking, owner's manual for the brain. That begs the question, shouldn't everyone read this? My answer would be a resounding yes. There was a distinct pleasure in using the very selfsame organ to contemplate it's own evolution, intricacies, peculiarities, and astounding abilities.
Some might question the authors credentials, being a veterinarian and anatomist, and not a neurologist, but this gives a comparative perspective that is enlightening to the reader.
If you have a brain, and of course you do if you're reading this, read this book!
This is a well written, entertaining, but mostly thought-provoking, owner's manual for the brain. That begs the question, shouldn't everyone read this? My answer would be a resounding yes. There was a distinct pleasure in using the very selfsame organ to contemplate it's own evolution, intricacies, peculiarities, and astounding abilities.
Some might question the authors credentials, being a veterinarian and anatomist, and not a neurologist, but this gives a comparative perspective that is enlightening to the reader.
If you have a brain, and of course you do if you're reading this, read this book!
March 7, 2011
This is very good, ought to be an interactive DVD. He bulids up to, sort of, but never actually states, what makes a lot more sense now. You actually have two brains ( just like you have two lungs and two kidneys, there are two brains there in your head { YMMV } }
Currently reading
September 7, 2008What do we really know about the brain? This is a good read and a chance to find out... Have not finished it and it belongs back at the library. Will renew.
Want to read
December 4, 2014With a title like that, who could resist?
March 15, 2016
Mixture of history,etymology, biology, and neuroscience.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews