How The Brain Lost Its Mind: Sex, Hysteria and the Riddle of Mental Illness

by Allan H. Ropper

'Hugely entertaining' Guardian

'Fascinating' Mail on Sunday

In 1882, Jean-Martin Charcot was the premiere physician in Paris, having just established a neurology clinic at the infamous Salpêtrière Hospital, a place that was called a 'grand asylum of human misery'. Assessing the dismal conditions, he quickly upgraded the facilities, and in doing so, revolutionized the treatment of mental illness.

Many of Charcot's patients had neurosyphilis (the advanced form of syphilis), a disease of mad poets, novelists, painters, and musicians, and a driving force behind the overflow of patients in Europe's asylums. A sexually transmitted disease, it is known as 'the great imitator' since its symptoms resemble those of almost any biological disease or mental illness. It is also the perfect lens through which to peel back the layers to better understand the brain and the mind. Yet, Charcot's work took a bizarre turn when he brought mesmerism - hypnotism - into his clinic, abandoning his pursuit of the biological basis of illness in favour of the far sexier and theatrical treatment of female 'hysterics', whose symptoms mimic those seen in brain disease, but were elusive in origin. This and a general fear of contagion set the stage for Sigmund Freud, whose seductive theory, Freudian analysis, brought sex and hysteria onto the psychiatrist couch, leaving the brain behind.

How The Brain Lost Its Mind tells this rich and compelling story, and raises a host of philosophical and practical questions. Are we any closer to understanding the difference between a sick mind and a sick brain? The real issue where should neurology and psychiatry converge to explore not just the brain, but the nature of the human psyche?

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, History, Mental Health, Medical, Neuroscience

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2019

Reviews

[MyPlantsLoveAudiobooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I fell for the old click bait title and I really wish I had just kept on scrolling, metaphorically speaking. What I mean to say is that I was excited to read this book and thought that it would highlight the challenges of treating mental illness and neurological disorders. I was mistaken. In reality, this book is a history of syphilis. Well, in some respects. The sections on the origins of syphilis are woefully inadequate and privilege only one hypothesis: that explorers brought the plague back from the New World (70). There is no mention of current research into the skeletons found to have syphilis in Austria in the 1300s.

This is not surprising given that the authors paint a whitewashed history of the disease. In an entire book about the supposed "scourge" that laid waste to hundreds of thousands of lives over many centuries, there is a single paragraph on Tuskeegee (145). Not only is there scant discussion of the ways in which syphilis was allowed to ravage families denied access to treatment, the paragraph frames the study as a "taint" on the reputation of the researchers. Forgoing, of course, any commentary at all on the devastating effects the research had on the lives of the Black sharecroppers who formed the basis of the study with zero knowledge or opportunity to give consent. Not to mention the racism embedded within that study and many other medical experiments in the past.

The authors also gloss over the ways in which psychiatry harmed more than it helped (lobotomy, electroshock therapy, ice water baths...) and barely mention that the basis for Freud's theories was fabricated (189) and that he never treated "Patient Zero" (104).

Mostly, this book contains a number of romanticized stories and anecdotes about artists, actors, and famous figures and very little clinical data. I found that surprising in a book that uses jargon without explanation and seems to assume the reader has a base familiarity with medical and psychiatric terminology. This patronizing practice also applies to the discussion of hysteria and the authors' insistence that the hugely problematic and troubling term still be used.

Perhaps most disappointing, is that by the end of the book, the authors have little to show for the claim that the book "tells the rich and compelling story of the intersection of two confounding ailments..." This is a story of syphilis and a list-based history of the intersections of early neurology and early psychiatry. I do not recommend this book.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I looked forward to reading and I was not disappointed. It was not what I was expecting. It was actually about how the study of psychiatry/psychiatry and neurology were impacted by the centuries long attempt of medical science to understand and cure syphilis.
A lot was said about the difference between the mind and the brain and how very little we know even now.
Quite an interesting read, especially for someone who has neurological, (epilepsy and autism) and mental health (persistent depression and OCD) issues.

I received this book free from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plucked this book off the library shelf and so glad I did. It lives up to its titillating title as Ropper and Burrell combine riveting (and sometimes stomach churning) vignettes with the genesis and often meandering growth of neurology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis. The horror of neurosyphilis and the eventual cure illustrate the overlapping of disciplines as each finds its way in the no man’s land separating the mind and the brain. Well written from the medical perspective it does nothing to redeem Freud for me. Looking back at progress made in mental illness and the push me pull me between the brain and the mind, one wonders what books fifty years from now will share about advances in autism, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia. Would have given four and a half stars...occasionally the stories left me a little confused. This is a book that doesn’t allow you to nod off!

[Peter Herrmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors try to explain how psychiatrists, neurologists, neuro-psychiatrists, pharma, etc have dealt with mind/brain illnesses - and give so many anecdotes, 'clarifications' and verbiage around the dichotomy of mind-brain that, in the end, I'm just confused about what their thesis really is. More verbiage would NOT have helped. Perhaps less is sometimes more. To a large extent - not exclusively - this is a history of syphilis; but a rather fragmented, incomplete one. I did learn a few things (incl., sadly, that the scourge is on the rise again because human attitudes haven't changed much [e.g. most states no longer require blood tests prior to marriage], etc, etc). BTW, the authors dismiss the 'degenerative' explanation of diagnoses - which belies the fact that a) in some conditions (Huntington's chorea is one such, I think) genetic mutation plays the key role b) there seem to be genetic influences at work in schizophrenia and bi-polar and a few other disorders - but these are subtle and still being worked out by geneticists and other researchers. They do go into much of the history of psychiatry. Perhaps the book was trying to be too many things at once and the thesis got muddled. Or perhaps my own mind - but not my brain - is too muddled to grasp this all. Or do my neurons just not fire sufficiently rapidly? (And if so, is it because my 'mind' is impeding their operation, or because I don't get enough Vitamin B12, or because of my parent's genes?)

[The Raven King - Feyzan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought it was going to be interesting but it was boring and didn't have any substance. The book wasn't structured properly. They tried to cram too much information without giving in story and research a chance to shine.

[EMMANUEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very glad I came across this book in the book store. I was browsing around and this book literally was like a God send. I was so happy that this book was a neuronal academic literary work. My speciality in college is neuroscience, and the dynamics of the neuronal mapping's spiritual circulation. In the physiological form of course.

The book was well provisioned with ample of helpful case studies that allowed for great insight into the neuroscience industry. I am very pleased with the ability of the author. The author was well capable of differentiating the academic categorical differences of the neuronal medical identity of neuroscience and the psychological neuronal identity of neuroscience. I was very well satisfied with the sociological perspective that was approached via psychology analysis. What was even more exceptional was the attempts to explain the neuronal mapping of the medical perception of neuroscience and it's relevancy to pathophysiology and healthy anatomical - physiology.

Definitely a great book to read for insight into Medical School or just for academic leisure.

[Breanna Ratigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was intriguing as someone with degrees in psychology, counseling, a neuroscience. I liked the way the information was presented in anecdotes. However, the latter half of the book fell short for me, apart from a few interesting chapters on Tourette’s Syndrome, due to it feeling repetitive in nature. I also disagreed quite largely with statements made in the last two chapters. For a book written in 2019, the authors still seem to be rather conservative in their view of disorders and diseases. One particular part that didn’t sit well with me was the mentioning of there being a lack of data to back up addiction being a disease – this is just wholly incorrect and only contributes to the stigma. Overall, I’m disappointed in how much this book didn’t hold up to what I thought it would be about.

[Sandy Schleich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. I thought it was very informative and I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. It was boring in some places but I did like the fact that it was more in layman‘s terms so it was easier to understand instead of in medical term. There were some things in here like syphilis that I did not know caused issues in the mind. I just thought it was a sexually transmitted disease not that it made you go crazy. I did love the name of this book to I thought it was very appropriate for the topics. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Chiara Brück · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this one.. Super dense and interesting book, but also with a lot of medical terms and a bit all over the place.

[Patricia Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does the cause for mental disorders lie in the brain or the mind? In spite of impressive medical technological advances, there remains no evidence of brain lesions to account for most of the disorders included in the DSM V.
This extremely well-written and compelling read traces the existence of neurosyphilis through history. In the case of syphilis, there is now a known etiology (thanks to the invention of a dye, methylene blue, and the scientist who used it to reveal the miscroscopic bacterium – a fascinating story in itself). If untreated, syphilis infects the brain and results in delusions and hallucinations, symptoms seen in schizophrenia and manic phases of bipolar disorder. Surely, then, there must be a germ at the root of these disorders as well. But we have yet to find it.
Due to the discovery of penicillin by Fleming in 1928, syphilis in its early stages is easily treated, and has no longer posed the threat of insanity that plagued many for the preceding five centuries. I was surprised to learn, however, that syphilis is on the rise, and that some cases diagnosed as Alzheimer’s may actually be caused by neurosyphilis.
The authors state, “In setting out to write a book about neurosyphilis, we ended up with a book about sex, hysteria, psychosis, psychoanalysis, mind cures, synthetic dyes, sensation fiction, psychotropic drugs, genius, and madness.” Intriguing? The book reads like a mystery novel. I highly recommend it.

[John Mannion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating account of the history of mental illness over the pass 200 or so years, by examining the social, cultural, psychological and even artistic impact of syphilis. The book also approaches the conundrum of what connects the brain to the mind. Syphilis is especially interesting in this area as it is one of the few physical diseases that directly causes mental illness.

[Telemachus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really it’s more of a 3,5 stars, due to some chapters being a bit disorganised, but I enjoyed the book so we’re rounding up to 4

[Domhnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

In just over 200 pages, the authors use historical anecdotes to convey an impression of the emergence and evolution of psychiatry. It focuses especially, but not exclusively, on the identification and treatment of syphilis, a disease which illustrates perfectly the need to tackle and understand the interaction of physical, psychological and social factors. The authors are very clear in their contention that psychiatry has not yet achieved the necessary integration of these different perspectives. It’s a selective history and capable of expansion in many directions but it sticks to its argument and makes its case in a lively and interesting way.

Quotes

We have written this book to redress this derailing of a coordinated neurological and psychiatric approach to mental illness. … Do we really understand the difference between a sick brain and a sick mind? [xiii]

Thomas Szasz anticipated this: The mathematicians, neuroscientists, and philosophers who offer seemingly super-sophisticated accounts of the relationship between mind and brain claim that they are laying the foundations of a new science of the mind. Perhaps so, but I doubt it. I believe they are writing science fiction… Why? Because the writers illustrate their stories with striking images of the brain obtained by high-tech scanners, analogize and equate the mind with the brain. Use incomprehensible mathematical symbols or give ordinary terms novel, idiosyncratic meanings, and promise to bring closer a brave new world of mental health. [153]

Hospital administrators finally tired of the psychoanalysts and started purging them from departments of psychiatry, where they had racked up a miserable track record of cure… This still left the fundamental questioned unanswered. What is the difference between a brain disease and a mental illness? [154]

Is a scientific psychology possible? … The philosopher Joseph Levine called the difference between physical events in the brain and the nature of conscious experience the “explanatory gap.” Although the neuroscientists have tried to close the gap, the psychoanalytic establishment has largely given up trying. Psychoanalysts instead settled for a therapeutic method … without the need for scientific backing, simply because, in their estimation, it works all the same. [190]

Hughlings Jackson … delivered a series of lectures in 1884 in which he laid down a heuristic called concomitance – the inspiration for Freud’s dependent concomitance. The heuristic value of an idea lies in its utility rather than in its elegance or fundamental logic… he begins with the assumption that the human nervous system is an “exclusively sensorimotor machine.” The workings of the brain and the state of mind at any given moment are linked for only two of the brain’s function: producing motion and registering sensation. Thoughts, on the other hand, cannot be traced back to a brain state. … The mind is then said to be an emergent property of the brain. It is not an automaton. … an emergent entity cannot be broken down into a cause-effect chain of processes. … the brain is not a Rube Goldberg device in which sensory experience goes in one end and stimulates a pinball firing of neurons, and thoughts come out the other end. [195]

Freud’s great insight was to leapfrog all of this brain science and conclude that a self-referential, internally consistent psychology was required to explain hysteria, and later, neurosis. The mental life of each individual case is its own thing, he realized, subject to fluid rules and interrelationships. The brain is another thing. [199]

Any system.. may have something to say about the human psyche, but when it claims tp plumb the depths of the brain is it doomed. Visible or invisible, the same principles apply in psychiatry as they do in neurology; disturbances on parts of the brain produce mental changes, but only in form, not in content. [199]

The human brain does three things very well – it produces movement, registers sensation and generates thoughts. Consequently, a disease of the brain can lead to a disorder of movement, a loss of sensation, or a problem with thinking. But unlike the liver or the kidneys, the brain has one other special attribute. By constantly monitoring the internal experiences of consciousness, it can and does create its own reality. [208]

Today, most lay therapists, taking their cue from Freud himself (rather than his followers), limit their practices to problems of the mind, leaving bodily diseases to physicians. Psychiatry, for its part, has abandoned Freud and allied itself with modern neuroscience, holding out for a day when statistical analysis will produce a Rosetta Stone for decoding brain scans. That day is nowhere in sight. [209]

[Zaifa Nafimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at my local bookstore and upon reading the synopsis on the back cover, I was quite intrigued by the premise of this book... that Syphilis is the common historical and medical ground that forever binds the connection between Psychiatry and neurology.

And the title of the book is just so titillating and would make a very successful click-bait, if this book were a video.

It started out pretty interesting. But towards the middle and the end of the book the whole thing became a bit too repetitive to me. The authors began by describing how neurology and psychiatry had a common history and a common ground in the study of syphilis. In the attempt to find the cause and the cure for neurosyphilis, neurologists and neuropsychiatrists would collaborate or argue with one another’s theories and treatment method.

In the early days, “most people do not realise that syphilis, which is an STD, can invade a brain and quickly destroy the mind within, reducing the patient to a hopeless wreck.” So cases of neurosyphilis were often being treated in a mental asylum, being thought of as a psychiatric case with no biological basis. Whereas cases of dissociative disorder - previously called hysteria - were being treated by neurologists. In fact, epileptics and hysterical patients were housed in the same building. That was a bit paradoxical as in the modern day, hysteria (or dissociative disorder as it is now called in the modern day) is the territory of Psychiatry whereas syphilis nowadays is treated by neurologists.

The authors also described some historical method of treatments (including mesmerism, lobotomy and mercury…would you believe it?) that makes me feel so glad that I live in the 21st century.

The authors mentioned some really famous names who were taught to be mad geniuses… people like the novelists Guy de Maupassant and Oscar Wilde, the painter Van Gogh, the philosopher Nietzsche… they all became mad at the end of their lives NOT because madness is a side effect of being a genius. But because they were infected by Syphilis.

After the discovery of Penicillin, syphilis gradually became less horrifying and incidence of neurosyphilis became quite rare. But now with the hook-up culture and hyper-sexualization of the Western society, the incidence of Syphilis is increasing again in the US.

I give this book 3.5 stars. It was quite an interesting read especially from the beginning up to the middle of the book. But towards the end, some of the anecdotes became a bit too repetitive. And I felt like the structure of the book was neither chronological nor thematic. It was a mixture of both throughout the book. It can be a bit disorientating and confusing sometimes. But I did not regret spending my time reading this book and I will still keep this book on my bookshelf. So, this book is not exactly a wow read… but not disappointing either. I do recommend this book as a form of light reading for neurologists, psychiatrists and medical students.

[Richard Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical review of how neurology and psychiatry evolved together, and then diverged, in the 19th and 20th century. Told through the stories of Charcot at the Salpetriere, Freud and his rotation there, Gilles de la Tourette and his relation to the Charcot school, and many others. Running through the exposition is the recognition that much of insanity during that period was probably due to neurosyphilis, and the spirochete is itself a prominent character. It is fascinating to recognize how many artists, writers, government officials, and other prominent people, went mad from general paresis.

Ropper tends to ramble, and the book overall has an unfocused feel to it. It is unclear exactly what his position is, but I think he regrets how psychiatry lost its grounding in the biological basis of mental illness, something that the relation of neurosyphilis to mental illness should have made obvious. At the same time he expounds at the end about how uncertain is the relation of mind to brain. Still I found this an interesting take on the subject, in the end somewhat muddled.

[Oliver Eike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just how did i stumble upon this book? Well, it came up here on Goodreads as a recommended actually and the title itself had me click on it to find out if it was something interesting. And boy was it.

The book aims to settle what is brain disease and what is a disease of the mind. And what might be causes of either of them. Syphilis plays a major role in the book as does ye ol' Hysteria. As the authors seek to unravel what both are and define and explain them. A job i felt they did marvelously.

The way they took up several big names in Psychology and the medicinal ways of treating a lot of issues, was an eye opener in many ways. Because while i knew Freud was a highly controversial figure that had supposedly faked some of his research, this book brought that up and explained the significance and meaning of it in a way that a pleb like myself could easily understand.

So highly recommend this book if you are interested in psychology or neurology. Or even just medical care in the Victorian age.

[David Cleary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and well-written look at neurosyphillis, Freud, and Charcot, and the development of psychiatry and neuroscience. Being grounded in materialism, though, I was annoyed by strong claims like this in regards to the treatment of depression and various brain scans:
"The stream of thoughts—good, bad, or in between—cannot be reduced to brain activity. The working mind is different from the working brain." (page 209)

The later chapters are peppered with absolutist statements like this. Descartes would be proud. But I like to think that what happens in the mind correlates with what happens in the brain. There is no mind activity without brain activity. Just because there are no gross lesions in a depressed brain, does not mean there are no brain changes at all associated with the depression; there could be lesions too small to be found by most scans, or there could be problems at the level of neurotransmitters or glial cells.

[Cassandra Lashae · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this book was brain candy--an easy read on a hard topic.

I tend to agree with other critics that the book takes a long time to get to its titular point. It spends more time on syphilis than on teasing out how the brain and mind got disconnected in health care. You could skip straight to the last two chapters and that'd be about all you get out of the book on its title, and it isn't much. Then, circle back and re-read for a long history of syphilis. I also agree with the criticism that it is heavily white-washed and does not devote enough time to unpacking the racism, sexism and ablism present in treating people with STIs and Psychiatric diagnoses.

I am still glad I added it to my read shelf, because it offered me some ideas and questions I had not considered before reading the book. Hopefully others will keep reading it, and it will inspire researchers to do a better job with this topic both in health care and in think pieces.

[Stephanie Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn about how the discovery of syphilis shaped the field of mental illness, and spurred on the battle of the brain versus the mind.
After reading this, I feel like everything I've ever learned about mental health disorders is all bullshit made up by a bunch of dudes whose brains were being eaten away by syphilis or cocaine. Freud literally made up the case studies on which he based his psychoanalytic theories that dominated the field of psychiatry for decades. So many of the people that we idolize as "thinkers" and artists actually died of neurosyphilis.
Also worth mentioning, is that everything that we've ever learned, all of the information that we have, it's all tainted with ethical violations and crimes against humanity that are far too numerous to count.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is a historical text on syphilis, on neurosyphilis, and how it has impacted neurology, psychology, and terms from these disciplines which we still use on a daily basis. This provides one viewpoint, one trajectory, and it reframes how the reader might think of household names like the already-controversial Freud. Again, it is a single perspective (or perhaps double, there are 2 authors), so this should be introductory if someone wants to continue research into the area. If you want to learn about the continued struggle to treat patients in both fields, and what syphilis has to do with that, then this is an interesting reading that will likely leave you with even more questions.

[Michael Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geschichte der Neurologie und Psychiatrie seit Philippe Pinel anhand der Neurolues.- Die Neurolues als heute im klinischen Alltag fast vergessene Krankheit: Progressive Paralyse und Tabes dorsalis.- Neurologen des 19. Jahrhunderts wie Jean-Martin Charcot und Sigmund Freud wendeten sich der Hysterie zu und entwickelten die Hypnose bzw. die Psychoanalyse.- Psychiater des 19. und des Anfangs des 20. Jahrhunderts Antoine Laurent Bayle und Julius Wagner-Jauregg beschrieben und entdeckten die Neurolues und begründeten die biologische Psychiatrie.- Sehr interessante Übersicht, das Rätsel mentaler Krankheiten wird jedoch nur oberflächlich herausgearbeitet.

[L.M. Elm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever anyone asks me if I'd ever want to travel back in time I say no for a number of reasons. But after reading this book my "no" would be even more firm. Syphilis did horrible things to one's mind, body, and well-being. But people still have sex. Even if it means you might die. Or go insane. Enough so that 10% of urban populations were infected. The cures were ad-hoc at best until the treatment of anti-biotics became the true 'magic bullet'. But the authors quote statistics that say the infection numbers really haven't gone down despite the aid of medicine.

Sobering and depressing thought. The book is still a fascinating read and well worth the time.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst writing styles I've ever encountered. I had to read nearly every sentence twice - due to an overcomplicated sentence structure, undefined words or sheer fatigue of it all. The structure of the book is even worse - no clear time-line, jumping back and forth and no conclusion.
Definitions of words that were used throughout the book (such as etiologies, and biopsychosocial model) and the differences between disease, disorder and syndrome were explained on the last 7 pages of the book - if you are trying to confuse the reader the first 205 pages why bothering to explain things at the very end? I'm so frustrated with this book. I didn't learn anything.

[Mathew Vondersaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and occasionally poinent with its storytelling, (mostly) balanced account between empathetic historical read, close recounts of science and light touched of biology with a few pacing issues restraining it.

My largest gripe with the text remains its romantization of science; and while it does mention a number of negative events, it fails to adequately explain and quantify them, often satisfied to point to them as genericly bad. Certainly not a damnable point, but a chip into it's quality, certainly.

Worth picking up for some history of pyschology in a much more pragmatic, medical sense than it usually sees, but does fail to fully explore a wealth of perspectives.

[Louise Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Some readers seem disappointed because the title isn't really that great at describing the main thesis of the book but I found it as I was searching for books about the history of syphilis and how it has affected mental health in America and Western Europe so this was perfect! The stories and supporting evidence were interesting and I didn't get bored at any point. Perhaps listening to the book on audible made it move faster for me; I would really recommend listening if you're able. The author's conclusion chapters about psychiatry and its complicated relationship with neurology was very nuanced and informative.

[Melissa T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this copy on good reads first reads Thank You!

By reading this book I learned so much about hysteria and Mental Illness, a lot of it I knew nothing about. I found myself talking about my new found knowledge to all of my co workers and my husband. Having a daughter that has been diagnosed as bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies it helped me see a different side of things. I have read this book twice now and I am still finding new information. The brain is such a mysterious thing.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the science of the brain.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just made my reading challenge for the year! This book made me earn it. So how do the experts decide if and what can cure/help mental illnesses? The answer is it depends and they proceed (sometimes in excruciating detail) the historical meanderings between biology/neurology and psychological theories. They use syphilis as a key player in the twists and turns. Unfun takeaway...syphilis is on the rise again and Oregon is highlighted... Bottom line good history of how the confusion has continued as to mental illness and it's treatments.

[Melanie T Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on syphilis and how it affected the minds of some great people and how it stills affects us in the present time. It also talks about mental illness and certain disorders like Tourette Syndrome. I recommend to anyone who is interested in these subjects. I will also say it took me a while to read it because the words in the book are very small and it was hard to read, even with my glasses on, and there were parts of the book that didn't seem as interesting. However, I read it anyways because of the history the book talked about.

[Corina Murafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those with little aware about the history of medicine and psychology, the book is very interesting and informative. It was interesting to read about the eternal battle btw those claiming that psychological disease has a physical determinant and those who believe it cannot be traced to any physical abnormality. The rise of antipsychotic drugs is equally fascinating. What I missed was perhaps was a more compelling and easy to understand theory of how indeed our physical brain and our psyche intertwine.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such an interesting subject but so unsuccessfully executed. I'm having a hard time believing this made it past an editor. It reads more like a first draft than a final published work.  It is so poorly organized, jumps all over the place, and fails to provide a coherent narrative or clear thesis. Such a pity as it had the potential to be a very interesting book. I think I would really enjoy it two or three rewrites from now.