William Richard Gowers 1845-1915
Exploring the Victorian Brain
Ann Scott author Andrew Lees author Mervyn Eadie author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:23rd Aug '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Highly Commended in the BMA Book Awards General Medicine Category
Sir William Richard Gowers was one of the pre-eminent clinical neurologists of the nineteenth century. Co-authored by one of Dr Gowers' descendents and two leading neurologists, this book is the definitive reference work on the life of one of the founding fathers of neurology.Sir William Richard Gowers was one of the pre-eminent clinical neurologists of the nineteenth century. He is best remembered for his discovery of the eponymous 'Gowers' sign', for his invention of the patella hammer, and for authoring the classic two-volume neurology textbook Manual of Diseases of the Nervous System. To date Dr Gowers has been the subject of only one published biography, while some aspects of Gowers' work have been chronicled in historical works regarding the history of neurology. This book goes into greater detail than ever, presenting the life story behind a great Victorian brain. Generously illustrated throughout with family photographs and original sketches, the authors cover Gowers' early years, his clinical work at Queen Square, his accolades, and friendships with explorers and famous authors. Co-authored by an academic with special access to the Gowers family archives and two leading neurologists, this book is the first definitive reference work on the life of William Richard Gowers, and will be of great interest to neurologists, neuroscientists, medical historians, and laypersons with an interest in neurology and mental illness.
This splendid new biography is full of fresh insights into Sir William Gowers and his time. The authors, who include Anne Scott, one of Gowers' descendants, have been able to draw on hitherto unknown family sources, Gowers' own diary from his early years, and illustrations and recollections culled from many published and unpublished sources. This fresh information provides warmth and understanding, especially of his early life and struggles that brings him close to us, even living as we do in so different a world scene. This is a book to while away any long journey and to enlighten our understanding of that key period in British neurology, the 40 years from 1870 to 1910. * Brain, 2012 *
It is possible to describe Ann Scott, Mervyn Eadie, and Andrew Lees' biography as a simply astonishing act of labour and a major contribution to the history of late-Victorian and Edwardian medicine. This biography possesses so much new material on the late nineteenth-century science and medicine of the brain and mind, it cannot be missed by any serious student of the history of neurology or psychiatry. William Richard Gowers 1845-1915 gives brilliant shape to one of Britain's most prominent medical man...an invaluable contribution to the history of neurology. * Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, August 2013 Dec *
One of the great founding figures of neurology, W. R. Gowers was a matchless observer and describer of neurological disorders. His 1886-88 Manual (all 800,000 words of it, illustrated by hundreds of his own drawings) is still enchanting and instructive 130 years later. Now we have a grand and definitive biography of the man, which makes equally fascinating reading. Using recently-discovered primary sources, including Gowerss own shorthand diaries, Ann Scott (Gowerss great-granddaughter), Mervyn Eadie and Andrew Lees (two of our most distinguished neurologists themselves), have explored the life and times of this pioneer and his legacy to all who are interested in the human brain. - Oliver Sacks
ISBN: 9780199692316
Dimensions: 236mm x 176mm x 22mm
Weight: 720g
330 pages