R. M. Youngson

Scientists don't get it right all the time, and this book is a catalogue of some of the more memorable and significant errors that have befallen the scientific and engineering community.

IT is split into various categories, such as chemistry, physics and maths, and there are several examples or blunders. In between each essay there are quotes by famous scientists and other notable individual that have failed to come true.

Over all it is ok, nothing particularly bad about the writing or subjects covered, it just lacks a little sparkle.… (more)

A book on a number of interesting and stimulating topics of human psychology that unfortunately approaches them in a rather workmanlike way. It discusses a number of psychological disorders and peculiarities; the diversity and complexity of these support Youngson's assertion on page 271 that "The state of mind is not a static entity. It is highly dynamic, constantly changing and full of contradictions." A number of Youngson's chosen topics are genuinely fascinating – some are bizarre whereas others are thought-provoking. He does impress upon the reader an appreciation on the complexity of the human mind, something which is still not fully understood by modern medical minds.

Unfortunately, Youngson does not seem to possess the art of the common touch in any sufficient quantity. As a writer, he is sometimes found wanting in his rhythm and the structure of his arguments – his anecdotes in particular are poorly deployed – and his explanations of the academic thought underpinning our medical understanding of these topics are often rather dry. Each topic is given only a few pages before moving on to another; each chapter feels like the transcript of an introductory lecture given by a psychology professor, priming his new students on topics that will be discussed in more depth in the semester ahead. Consequently, the book lacks satisfaction; you may find a number of the topics interesting, but you won't gain any greater understanding of them as they are each dealt with so quickly.… (more)

I've been reading this for months. Its my handbag book. I started reading it as any other book but as I read one mental problem after the other I found I was suffering from almost all of them! So I thought I would ration this worrying, but somewhat enjoyable, hypochondriac state to situations like being stuck in the wrong line at the bank, or ten cars back in the gas station with the cheapest gas in town. Its so nice to know that my brain is utterly unique in its ability to be so incredibly disfunctional, to incorporate so many mental quirks, neuroses, psychoses and ooooh I can't even remember the names for all the disorders, derangements, maladjustments and other exciting instabilities AND I can still operate and fool ALL the people MOST of the time that I am a Completely Normal Individual (ummm, unless that's one of my delusions. Nah...)

This book is highly recommended for those that want to see just how truly mad they are, or conversely (and delusionally) aren't but every one else is! Also it may give you some original excuses for a sick day off work.… (more)