Reviews from Amazon

Phantoms in the brain

Starting from the phenomenon of phantom limbs, Ramachandran looks at how the human mind responds to physical and neurological problems. He moves on through such conditions as: blindsight, neglect of one half of the body, and denial of paralysis. However his goal is wider than just describing the medical effects, he also takes the opportunity to explore the consequences for the philosophy of mind. He seems prepared to speculate more than most, but always recognises the vital importance of experimental support for ideas. If you are interested in the workings of the mind then this book will provide you with some fascinating insights

There's the risk with this sort of book that we see the patients as some sort of freak, being amused by their inability to do ordinary tasks, but Ramachandran avoids this mixing the examples with similar ones of everyday behaviour. Furthermore he shows that the wider knowledge of such conditions means a better chance of treating them. I feel that the most important part of Ramachandran's approach is his openness to new ways of testing ideas about the mind. For instance Freud's work is seen by many nowadays as a collection of untestable stories. However, Ramachandran shows that there is the possibility of finding ways of testing these ideas.

Amazon.com info

Hardcover 352 pages
ISBN: 1857026187
Salesrank: 3173960
Weight:1.45 lbs

Published: 1998 Fourth Estate

Marketplace::Used from $28.20

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Amazon.co.uk info

Hardcover 352 pages
ISBN: 1857026187
Salesrank: 334425
Weight:1.45 lbs

Published: 1998 Fourth Estate

Marketplace::Used from £4.50

Buy from Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk Review
What would you say about a woman who, despite stroke-induced paralysis crippling the entire left side of her body, insists that she is whole and strong--who even sees her left hand reach out to grasp objects? Freud called it "denial"; neurologists call it "anosognosia". However it may be labelled, this phenomenon and others like it allow us peeks into other mental worlds and afford us considerable insight into our own. The writings of Oliver Sacks and others have shown us that we can learn much about ourselves by looking closely at the deficits shown by people with neurological problems. VS Ramachandran has seen countless patients suffering from anosognosia, phantom limb pain, blindsight and other disorders, and he brings a remarkable mixture of clinical intuition and research savvy to bear on their problems. He is one of the few scientists who are able and willing to explore the personal, subjective ramifications of his work; he rehumanizes an often too-sterile field and captures the spirit of wonder so essential for true discovery. Phantoms in the Brain is equal parts medical mystery, scientific adventure, and philosophical speculation; Ramachandran's writing is smart, caring, and very, very funny. Whether you're curious about the workings of the brain, interested in alternatives to expensive, high-tech science (much of Ramachandran's research is done with materials found around the home), or simply want a fresh perspective on the nature of human consciousness, you'll find satisfaction withPhantoms in the Brain. --Rob Lightner

Amazon.co.uk Review

What would you say about a woman who, despite stroke-induced paralysis crippling the entire left side of her body, insists that she is whole and strong--who even sees her left hand reach out to grasp objects? Freud called it "denial"; neurologists call it "anosognosia". However it may be labelled, this phenomenon and others like it allow us peeks into other mental worlds and afford us considerable insight into our own.

The writings of Oliver Sacks and others have shown us that we can learn much about ourselves by looking closely at the deficits shown by people with neurological problems. VS Ramachandran has seen countless patients suffering from anosognosia, phantom limb pain, blindsight and other disorders, and he brings a remarkable mixture of clinical intuition and research savvy to bear on their problems. He is one of the few scientists who are able and willing to explore the personal, subjective ramifications of his work; he rehumanizes an often too-sterile field and captures the spirit of wonder so essential for true discovery. Phantoms in the Brain is equal parts medical mystery, scientific adventure, and philosophical speculation; Ramachandran's writing is smart, caring, and very, very funny.

Whether you're curious about the workings of the brain, interested in alternatives to expensive, high-tech science (much of Ramachandran's research is done with materials found around the home), or simply want a fresh perspective on the nature of human consciousness, you'll find satisfaction withPhantoms in the Brain. --Rob Lightner

Reverse engineering the brain *****
Building a brain from scratch too difficult? No problem. Why not try it the other way. Dismantle a brain piece by piece to find out what each bit does (or did). OK, since this is ethically incorrect, how about waiting for patients with brain injuries to come to you and if you know which part of their brain is damaged (and there are plenty of modern techniques that can do this these days, such as PET or MRI) and if they also have behavioural or physical symptoms then you can put two and two together to infer what that piece of the brain is responsible for. This is kind of what Professor Ramachandran does. Not only does he introduce us to his patients (or composites of them), he also scours medical literature to find other celebrated cases too. With his own patients he also sometimes devises deceptively simple experiments to probe their conditions further. Such as his Blue Peter-style mirror box which he uses on his neglect and phantom pain patients (two intriguing pathologies). The result is a fascinating book. My only slight gripe was with the last chapter, 12, which was supposed to be a summing up chapter about putting everything we'd learned together to tackle the problem of "self" via "qualia" -- the subjective, raw feel of something. For me he stretched what I'd learned in the preceding chapters too far and crammed too much information in. The result was that I finished a delightful book feeling a little frustrated. I'd like to give it 4.5 stars but demoting it to 4.0 would be too unfair.

Reverse engineering the brain *****

Building a brain from scratch too difficult? No problem. Why not try it the other way. Dismantle a brain piece by piece to find out what each bit does (or did). OK, since this is ethically incorrect, how about waiting for patients with brain injuries to come to you and if you know which part of their brain is damaged (and there are plenty of modern techniques that can do this these days, such as PET or MRI) and if they also have behavioural or physical symptoms then you can put two and two together to infer what that piece of the brain is responsible for. This is kind of what Professor Ramachandran does. Not only does he introduce us to his patients (or composites of them), he also scours medical literature to find other celebrated cases too.

With his own patients he also sometimes devises deceptively simple experiments to probe their conditions further. Such as his Blue Peter-style mirror box which he uses on his neglect and phantom pain patients (two intriguing pathologies). The result is a fascinating book. My only slight gripe was with the last chapter, 12, which was supposed to be a summing up chapter about putting everything we'd learned together to tackle the problem of "self" via "qualia" -- the subjective, raw feel of something. For me he stretched what I'd learned in the preceding chapters too far and crammed too much information in. The result was that I finished a delightful book feeling a little frustrated. I'd like to give it 4.5 stars but demoting it to 4.0 would be too unfair.

great *****
I purchased this book as it had a chapter that partly related to the subject of my thesis(linking proprioception to phantom limb sensation). The chapter on phantom limb sensation was brilliant. It was very interesting and gave me food for thought. However, i then proceed to read more of the book when i really should have been doing my thesis...

great *****

I purchased this book as it had a chapter that partly related to the subject of my thesis(linking proprioception to phantom limb sensation). The chapter on phantom limb sensation was brilliant. It was very interesting and gave me food for thought. However, i then proceed to read more of the book when i really should have been doing my thesis...

Spiritually motivating *****
The chapter which attracted me the most was, God and the limbic system. By nature I am a spiritually inclined person, so I could not resist myself in reading the chapter again and again. After reading this book,a desperate urge to feel God exists in me always. Anybody who reads this book will definetly come to a conclusion, that a supreme power exists above everything and man with all his acquired knowledge cannot even move a blade without the help of this power. N.Parimala Devi(Bangalore, india)

Spiritually motivating *****

The chapter which attracted me the most was, God and the limbic system. By nature I am a spiritually inclined person, so I could not resist myself in reading the chapter again and again. After reading this book,a desperate urge to feel God exists in me always. Anybody who reads this book will definetly come to a conclusion, that a supreme power exists above everything and man with all his acquired knowledge cannot even move a blade without the help of this power.
N.Parimala Devi(Bangalore, india)

Very Stimulating *****
A truly interesting book, it reads like a novel with the author telling about all these absolutely extraordinary things which people can experience simply because of some problem in their brain and he then goes on to tell exactly why they happen. I found that after finishing each chapter I just had to tell someone about the case he had been describing, then you can sound like a proper "brain surgeon" and explain to them exactly why the problem occured. I think this book may be the best way to learn about the brain because the book is just unputdownable but you learn so much.

Very Stimulating *****

A truly interesting book, it reads like a novel with the author telling about all these absolutely extraordinary things which people can experience simply because of some problem in their brain and he then goes on to tell exactly why they happen. I found that after finishing each chapter I just had to tell someone about the case he had been describing, then you can sound like a proper "brain surgeon" and explain to them exactly why the problem occured.

I think this book may be the best way to learn about the brain because the book is just unputdownable but you learn so much.

better than the man who mistook his wife for a hat *****
sorry oliver sacks, but v.s ramachandran has got 'it' better than you. the book is an intense delight into the world of neuroscience and philosophy. it's hard to put down and you find yourself educating your friends or anyone who will listen just to tell them about scinarios in the book. this book will keep your mind busy long after you have finsihed reading it

better than the man who mistook his wife for a hat *****

sorry oliver sacks, but v.s ramachandran has got 'it' better than you. the book is an intense delight into the world of neuroscience and philosophy. it's hard to put down and you find yourself educating your friends or anyone who will listen just to tell them about scinarios in the book. this book will keep your mind busy long after you have finsihed reading it

Vilayanur Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee

Phantoms in the brain