The Mind Mappers: Friendship, Betrayal and the Obsessive Quest to Chart the Brain

by Eric Andrew-Gee

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Winner of the 2025 Quebec Writers' Federation Literary Award Concordia University First Book Award and Finalist for the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
A Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year

The riveting true story of the star-crossed friendship between two neuroscientists—one famous, the other forgotten—who mapped the brain, but lost each other.

In the early 1920s, when neurosurgery was more likely to be a death sentence than a cure, two men revolutionized the study of the Wilder Penfield and William Cone. Drawn together by their shared fascination with the “undiscovered country” inside our heads, the surgeons formed a partnership and within ten years established the Montreal Neurological Institute in a Gothic stone hospital on the slope of a mountain. The Neuro soon became the world’s leading centre for neurological study, attracting men and women from across the globe to a booming mid-century city.

But their success came at the cost of their friendship.

While Cone spent long hours at patients’ bedsides and in the blood-spattered operating room, Penfield pursued the loftier goal of discovering the seat of consciousness. The Chief, as he was known, went on to develop the Montreal procedure for treating epilepsy, which helped identify the source of speech, executive function and memory in narrow slivers of grey matter—achievements that illuminated the relationship between mind and body, made possible by Cone’s anonymous work behind the scenes. Over time, their relationship became fraught with personal and professional hurts—and suddenly ended when Cone was found dead in his office at the age of sixty-two.

In this compelling dual biography, Globe and Mail journalist Eric Andrew-Gee weaves together the rich history of The Neuro with that of Penfield and Cone to reveal the untold story of one of the birthplaces of neuroscience. In doing so, he breathes new life into a familiar hero and revives the tragic, forgotten story of his partner, writing Dr. William Cone back into the historical record at last.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Audiobook, Biography, History

358 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there were ever any doubts as to whether Andrew-Gee is goated with the sauce, the Mind Mappers should put them firmly and finally to rest.

[Judith Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Eric Andrew/Gee weaves his meticulous research into an engaging story.

[Dale Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly riveting , meticulously researched , and beautifully written . The Vic has a significance for me , apart from being from Montreal , but I dont think Im biased in my appraisal of this brilliant book .

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ancient Egyptians practiced neuroscience and throughout the centuries, people began to make the connections between the brain and how manipulating different areas affected movement, pleasure, memories, hallucinations and speech. Modern neuroscientists made great discoveries into the realm of falling disease, epilepsy.

In the 1920s, two male neuroscientists met and became fast friends in their shared passion. Wilder Penfield and William Cone established the Montreal Neurological Institute - the Neuro - and the brain world made leaps and bounds. Cone's was content to be Chief Penfield's associate and made much less money. He was the most gifted surgeon of his time while Penfield was passionate about discoveries, research and wanted to know what made the brain tick. Penfield probed into the world of epilepsy and both worked in a "double harness" and were inseparable. They made breakthroughs on tumours, used local scalp anaesthetic and sewed fabric into the scalp for sanitation. Preventing infection was paramount. Epilepsy surgery was particularly tricky as it could trigger pain and hallucinations. The patients were anaesthetized during the surgeries, too, and were exposed to the terrifying saws and other instruments. Many patients continued to die (including a sister!) but as experience and knowledge grew, some patients began to survive. Cone became enamored by pathology and chemical cutting of brain tissue. But he rarely slept and chastised those students who dared to hope for a few hours or day off.

Eventually, Cone left and led a hospital twice the size of the Neuro in England. He had always clung to Penfield and showed him appreciation and sought his approval. Penfield, a family man, didn't show his love for his colleague in the same way. For various reasons, the two drifted apart.
Amongst other things such as sleeplessness, Cone had mood swings and frequent illnesses which signified depression. He committed suicide which affected Penfield badly. Penfield developed a rare neurological disease. As the author explains, the two men mapped brains but lost each other. Betrayal and guilt ran deep.

My favourite aspects of this book are the interpersonal relationships of the two men as well as the surgical procedures themselves which were incredibly eye opening. Personal letters and photographs brought these men to life. Talk about a fascinating book! It riveted me the entire time.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely fascinating and disturbing story about the beginnings of the Montreal Neurological Institute.
Dr. Wilder Penfield and Dr. William Cone were two brilliant neurosurgeons who forged a friendship and subsequent partnership that led to the opening of the MNI. Two vastly different personalities, they managed their own work together yet separately. Penfield was the gregarious one, always ready for the spotlight while Cone was content to remain in the background. The author has put together a well fleshed out look into the friendship and medical achievements of both doctors and the subsequent failure of their partnership and more importantly their friendship.

The narration could have used better sound editing, it was noticeable at times when the sound was different from the previous sentence. It wasn't enough to take me out of the book, only something I found a bit off.

[Jrwest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that I would strongly recommend to anyone interested in science, medicine or neurology. It is the incredible story of how 2 American neurosurgeons Wilder Penfield and William Cone were recruited to Montreal in the 1920s and set up the Montreal Neurological Institute and whose groundbreaking research and surgery led to the development of neurosurgery as a discipline. The book also chronicles how the partners initially gradually and then suddenly drifted apart. Although Penfield was the more notable and prominent of the partners, the book really demonstrates the significant contributions of William Cone in the development of neurosurgery. A very compelling read.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure most Canadians who watched any amount of television in the 1990s will know who Wilder Penfield is - remember the Heritage moment where the woman smells burnt toast? That’s him, the neurosurgeon who cured her epilepsy. Who you may not know though is Penfield’s partner, Dr. William Cone, who as illustrated in this book, contributed as much as, if not more than, Penfield to the expansion of our knowledge and understanding of the brain and its functions.
Writing for an audience without medical training or background, Erik Andrew-Gee has provided us with a history of the Montreal Neurological Institute and its founding fathers, Penfield and Cone. An extremely interesting read.

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to read The Mind Mappers, a story about Dr. Wilder Penfield and the hey-days of the Montreal Neurological Institute, but realized by the introductory pages that I would struggle to get through the book. Unlike a thesis, a story can stretch and manipulate the truth to provide entertainment. Something we unfortunately see too much of these days. And The Mind Mappers has done just that. It is hard to know where the real truth lies and where the embellishment and massaging of facts presents a fun story line but questionable reality. An unfortunate publication, I wish it had been better written and better edited.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a medical librarian and medical history nerd, I really loved this book. It really is a book about not one, but two towering geniuses, whose lifelong collaboration was so much more than the sum of its parts. Wilder Penfield is probably known to most Canadians from his vignette in the "toast is burning" Heritage Minute, but he was well known in his lifetime and beyond as a giant of neurosurgery and a pioneer of the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience. William Cone is shrouded in undeserved obscurity, and Andrew-Gee does his legacy as a pioneering neurosurgeon and pathologist justice, all while chronicling his personal struggles with a deft touch.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was curious to read this book because of its intriguing title. I know the Montreal Neurological Institute very well, and I wondered what this author would say about its best-known scandal. He did have plenty to say, but I take it with a big grain of salt because there is clearly a lot of guessing in what is said. I found the writing style irritating; for example in the continuous referral to Penfield and Cone as "the friends." I expected to enjoy this book, but unfortunately it was just annoying.
Addendum: I don't know why it says I read this book twice. I read it once, and once was enough!

[Barb Guglick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story but I am not sure what I would have thought if I wasn't already familiar with the Neuro. As a native Montrealer whose Mother amd Grandmother had surgery there, I was interested in both its history and its founders.
The abundance of technical terms made it somewhat textbookish although I guess there was no avoiding that. I tried not to get too hung up on that and read through them.
I did enjoy what I learned...just not a page turner.

[Sc · Rating 3 out of 5]

From page 2 on, without even knowing anything about the author, I knew he was from Toronto. It was annoying how he constantly put down Montreal. He constantly described the city as a back water, even though at the time Montreal was the biggest, most important city in Canada. I crossed Dr. Penfield avenue quite a lot without knowing about the man. It was a pleasure to learn his history and Dr. Cone's story is almost painful to read. The writing was okay.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story, beautifully written.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, probably the best non-fiction I've ever read.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book but was certainly biased by my past involvement in the Neuro

[Jacinthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4.5, very interesting history. I was mostly fascinated by Cone, brilliant man, loved reading about his inventions!

[Amanda T · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There was a lot of research done with this book, but it needed to be pared down a little.

[Gabriela Blaszczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written & I learned a lot about the early days of neurosurgery and how Canadian researchers were put on the map!

[Kim Frache · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of 2 geniuses and their foray into neurosurgery during the 20th century. Would recommend this strongly to anyone interested in this subject.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating east to read account, for anyone interested in the brain.