The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin

Reviews / Votes

Even though the text is rich of specific historical data, it never exceeds into bore and the reader is fascinated by the flow of scientific thoughts through the decades, and as a neuroscientist and a member of the scientific community is often struck by aha moments which explain from where his knowledge and way of thinking originated. * Professor Alessandro Vercelli * This is a beautifully written book, presenting the key figures of modern neuroscience from Turin. The author, being a scientist and an educator himself, sheds a unique light when discussing these historical giants - providing description of the people and their works that makes the book equally exciting to scientists and to lay readers. As a professor of Washington University in St. Louis, I cannot not emphasize the chapter on Rita Levy-Motalcini - one would argue that nothing new could be said about Rita after dozens of books have been written about her, yet Stefano Sandrone finds yet another angle to discuss this exceptional character. Overall, a delightful book! * Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, BJC Investigator; Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology; Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, Washington University, St. Louis; Director, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG) * This fascinating collection of essays shows how for a long time Turin was the hub of European neuroscience, from anatomy to physiology and anthropology, from brain preservation to plasticity, neural growth and regeneration, and from neurology to neuropsychology and psychiatry. * Emeritus Professor Jan van Gijn, FRCP, University of Utrecht * This is a long overdue, erudite presentation of the major role of Turin in shaping modern neurosciences, from Rolando to Rita Levi Montalcini. It contributes to a growing critical interest in the interactions between European research centres, while giving original insights into the relationship between scientific institutions and the economical and socio-cultural environment. * Laura Bossi, Neurologist and Science Historian, Paris *