A Cursing Brain?: The Histories of Tourette Syndrome
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Book Overview
In the mid-19th century, a French physician reported the bizarre behaviour of a young aristocratic woman who would suddenly, without warning, erupt in a startling fit of obscene shouts and curses. Tourette syndrome is a set of behavours, including recurrent ticcing and involuntary shouting (sometimes cursing) as well as obsessive-compulsive actions. The history of this syndrome, as described in this text, reveals how cultural and medical assumptions have determined and radically altered its characterization and treatment from the early-19th century to the late 1990s.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0674180224
ISBN13:9780674180222
Release Date:April 1999
Publisher:Harvard University Press
Length:320 Pages
Weight:1.40 lbs.
Dimensions:9.5" x 1.3" x 6.3"
Related Subjects
Clinical Health, Fitness & Dieting Health, Fitness & Dieting History History & Philosophy Internal Medicine Medical Medical Books Medicine Mental Health Neurology Neuropsychology Psychiatry Psychology Psychology & Counseling Science Science & Math Science & Scientists Science & Technology Special Topics TextbooksCustomer Reviews
2 ratings
The Cursing Brain
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is an excellent and comprehensive review of how Tourette Syndrome has treated -- and mistreated -- through history. It reveals how much the viewpoint of the reseacher (doctor, psychologist, etc.) determines the course of a study or how a patient is seen. Anyone interested specifically in TS will find it fascinating, but I think it is most relevant as a reminder that the scientist is a participant in a relationship with a patient. Medical students, medical researchers, physicians... should all read it.
Fascinating but a bit thick
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This is a fascinating and well-researched book, both in terms of TS itself and the history of medicine and psychology in Europe and the US. Some of the stories are just heart rending. The writing is sometimes a bit overly academic, however, and readers without graduate degrees or lots of other practice reading turgid prose may get a bit worn out while plowing through some of the paragraphs.
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