Brian Burrell

A brief history of neuroscience. Where the original scientists went wrong (...er, everybody is racist&sexist and HOOBOY eugenics!), but also what WAS clearly brought to light. What fanatics sprung up, major philosophical movements, major scientists in neuroscience, and all their varied contributions to the state of the history and knowledge of the brain.

This was one of those books that I finished even though I'd lost interest before I got to the end. It started out interestingly enough, tracing the history of mankind trying to figure out the relationship between the brain's anatomy and the workings of the mind. Learned societies were formed whose members willed their own brains to the society for better understanding of the relationship.
Particular attention was paid to the brains of those judged to be geniuses or possessed of spectacular show more talents. But while anatomists increased their knowledge, they were able to find little correlation between structure and intellect.
The author is exhaustive in his coverage of the subject, but finishing the book was exhausting. show less

This is an interesting overview of the significance of brain size and how it correlates (or doesn't) with intelligence. The list at the end of the book with brain weights of famous people tends to refute the idea that the larger the brain, the larger the intelligence.