Brainspotting: Adventures in Neurology
Brainspotting: Adventures in Neurology
Brainspotting: Adventures in Neurology
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Published: 22/03/2022
ISBN: 9781912559367
Extent: 184 pages

Brainspotting: Adventures in Neurology

Author: A. J. Lees

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‘The inevitable comparison of Lees with the late, great Oliver Sacks is entirely just.’ Raymond Tallis

As a trainee hospital doctor, A. J. Lees was enthralled by his mentors: esteemed neurologists who in their work combined the precision of mathematicians with the solemnity of undertakers. Today their clinical methods honed at the bedside are in danger of extinction, replaced by a slavish adherence to algorithms, protocols, process and a worship of machines.

In Brainspotting, through a series of brilliant autobiographical essays, Lees takes us on a grand tour of his neurological career, giving the reader insight into the art of listening, observation and imagination that the best neurologists still rely on to heal minds and fix brains.

Dr Andrew Lees is Professor of Neurology at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment and, most recently, Brazil That Never Was, both published by Notting Hill Editions.

Brainspotting is the best kind of medical writing: part explorer story, part history, part Bildungsroman, in which the poet John Clare makes a cameo appearance alongside the pioneers of neurology. A.J. Lees writes with great humanity and precision about both the story of his discipline and the essential qualities of a doctor in this beautifully produced volume, the slightness of which belies the expansiveness of its scope.
Daisy Hay
‘A. J. Lees’s exquisitely produced Brainspotting is a gem… Alongside this genial recounting of his approach to his work, Lees offers sketches of neurologists by whom he was taught or who have influenced his thinking and recollections of institutions where he has worked… I loved this book. If ever I fall victim to a neurological disorder, I can only hope to God I come under the benign and intelligent care of Lees.’
Sally Vickers, Literary Review
'A subtle, brilliant and unputdownable appeal for the place of the human factor in the practise of neurology during the age of fMRI and Google... A remarkable book.'
Robert McCrum
‘A rare glimpse into a hidden world. The skills demanded by neurology overlap with other kinds of noticing and reasoning – which shows us the world afresh at the same time as educating us about neurology.’
Mike Jay
‘A fascinating and riveting book. A. J. Lees is that rare phenomenon: a literary stylist of the first rank who combines a fine aesthetic sensibility with deep scientific knowledge. After reading this book, you will never feel the same about the words mind, body and soul.’
Andrew Hussey
‘An exceptional compendium of marvellous phenomena that can captivate the imagination of students and neurologists to this day ... Lees’ writing style combines anatomical precision with ethereal poetry, which is reflected in his practice and teachings. The intersection between art and science possesses a remarkable transformative power.’
The Lancet

Published: 22/03/2022
ISBN: 9781912559367
Extent: 184 pages

Description

Signed copies available – click here.

‘The inevitable comparison of Lees with the late, great Oliver Sacks is entirely just.’ Raymond Tallis

As a trainee hospital doctor, A. J. Lees was enthralled by his mentors: esteemed neurologists who in their work combined the precision of mathematicians with the solemnity of undertakers. Today their clinical methods honed at the bedside are in danger of extinction, replaced by a slavish adherence to algorithms, protocols, process and a worship of machines.

In Brainspotting, through a series of brilliant autobiographical essays, Lees takes us on a grand tour of his neurological career, giving the reader insight into the art of listening, observation and imagination that the best neurologists still rely on to heal minds and fix brains.

Dr Andrew Lees is Professor of Neurology at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment and, most recently, Brazil That Never Was, both published by Notting Hill Editions.

Additional information

Weight 0.25 kg
Dimensions 19 × 12 × 1.5 cm
Cover Type

Hardcover

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