Essays on great figures and important issues, advances and blind alleys—from trepanation to the discovery of grandmother cells—in the history of brain sciences. Neuroscientist Charles Gross has been interested in the history of his field since his days as an undergraduate. A Hole in the Head is the second collection of essays in which he illuminates the study of the brain with fascinating episodes from the past. This volume's tales range from the history of trepanation (drilling a hole in the skull) to neurosurgery as painted by Hieronymus Bosch to the discovery that bats navigate using echolocation. The emphasis is on blind alleys and errors as well as triumphs and discoveries, with ancient practices connected to recent developments and controversies. Gross first reaches back into the beginnings of neuroscience, then takes up the interaction of art and neuroscience, exploring, among other things, Rembrandt's “Anatomy Lesson” paintings, and finally, examines discoveries by scientists whose work was scorned in their own time but proven correct in later eras.

This volume will look at the history of trepanation, the identification of skulls, the tools used to make the cranial openings, and theories as to why trepanation might have been performed many thousands of years ago.

A heavily expanded edition of Joe Mellen's legendary, long out-of-print auto-trepanation memoir. A heavily expanded edition of Joe Mellen's legendary, long out-of-print auto-trepanation memoir, Bore Hole takes us deep into the dawning of the UK's psychedelic counter culture, and into a mind breaking free from the confines of a traditional English upbringing. Travelling to Morocco and Ibiza, then back to the first spring of swinging London, Joe Mellen discovers the pleasures of hashish, is captivated by the visionary intensity of LSD and, after meeting the Dutch psychedelic guru Bart Huges, attempts the ultimate head trip, the bore hole. As well as a selection of unseen archive photographs, this edition includes a new postscript, essays, appendices and a 1967 interview with Bart Huges.

This book takes readers on a journey around the world and through time, accompanied by a modern neurosurgeon who reviews historical techniques and instruments used for cranial opening. The author draws on original medical and surgical books to provide a comprehensive history of these techniques and tools. To complement the general overview and offer readers a more ‘hands-on’ sense of context and atmosphere, extensive historical references, stories, media news and illustrative cases have been included for each historical and geographical scenario. In addition, original illustrations and plates of these archaic instruments and techniques are supplied. Neurosurgical surgeons, nurses, technicians, medical historiographers, paleo-pathologists and researchers interested in surgical techniques for cranial opening will find the volume a valuable guide, intended to increase the historical and cultural awareness of this core topic in neurological surgery.

This open access book presents the diagnosis, investigation and treatment of neurovascular diseases, and offers expert opinions and advice on avoiding complications in neurovascular surgery. It also covers complication management and post-operative follow-up care. The book is divided in to three parts; the first part discusses common approaches in neurovascular surgery, describing the steps, indications for and limitations of the approach, as well as the associated complications and how to avoid them. The second part addresses surgical treatment based on pathology, taking the different locations of lesions into consideration. The third part focuses on the technological developments that support neurovascular surgery, which may not be available everywhere, but have been included to help vascular surgeon understand the principles. This book is a guide for young neurosurgeons, neurosurgery residents and neurosurgery fellows, as well as for medical students and nurses who are interested in neurosurgery or are associated with this field in any way. It is also a useful teaching aid for senior neurosurgeons.