Permanent Present Tense

Permanent Present Tense

Author: Suzanne Corkin

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2013-05-14

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 0465033490

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In 1953, 27-year-old Henry Gustave Molaison underwent an experimental "psychosurgical" procedure -- a targeted lobotomy -- in an effort to alleviate his debilitating epilepsy. The outcome was unexpected -- when Henry awoke, he could no longer form new memories, and for the rest of his life would be trapped in the moment. But Henry's tragedy would prove a gift to humanity. As renowned neuroscientist Suzanne Corkin explains in Permanent Present Tense, she and her colleagues brought to light the sharp contrast between Henry's crippling memory impairment and his preserved intellect. This new insight that the capacity for remembering is housed in a specific brain area revolutionized the science of memory. The case of Henry -- known only by his initials H. M. until his death in 2008 -- stands as one of the most consequential and widely referenced in the spiraling field of neuroscience. Corkin and her collaborators worked closely with Henry for nearly fifty years, and in Permanent Present Tense she tells the incredible story of the life and legacy of this intelligent, quiet, and remarkably good-humored man. Henry never remembered Corkin from one meeting to the next and had only a dim conception of the importance of the work they were doing together, yet he was consistently happy to see her and always willing to participate in her research. His case afforded untold advances in the study of memory, including the discovery that even profound amnesia spares some kinds of learning, and that different memory processes are localized to separate circuits in the human brain. Henry taught us that learning can occur without conscious awareness, that short-term and long-term memory are distinct capacities, and that the effects of aging-related disease are detectable in an already damaged brain. Undergirded by rich details about the functions of the human brain, Permanent Present Tense pulls back the curtain on the man whose misfortune propelled a half-century of exciting research. With great clarity, sensitivity, and grace, Corkin brings readers to the cutting edge of neuroscience in this deeply felt elegy for her patient and friend.


The Architects' Handbook

The Architects' Handbook

Author: Quentin Pickard

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-30

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 0470695447

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The Architects' Handbook provides a comprehensive range of visual and technical information covering the great majority of building types likely to be encountered by architects, designers, building surveyors and others involved in the construction industry. It is organised by building type and concentrates very much on practical examples. Including over 300 case studies, the Handbook is organised by building type and concentrates very much on practical examples. It includes: · a brief introduction to the key design considerations for each building type · numerous plans, sections and elevations for the building examples · references to key technical standards and design guidance · a comprehensive bibliography for most building types The book also includes sections on designing for accessibility, drawing practice, and metric and imperial conversion tables. To browse sample pages please see http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/architectsdata


Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2004-05-17

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0393069192

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Beloved, best-selling science writer Mary Roach’s “acutely entertaining, morbidly fascinating” (Susan Adams, Forbes) classic, now with a new epilogue. For two thousand years, cadavers – some willingly, some unwittingly – have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender confirmation surgery, cadavers have helped make history in their quiet way. “Delightful—though never disrespectful” (Les Simpson, Time Out New York), Stiff investigates the strange lives of our bodies postmortem and answers the question: What should we do after we die? “This quirky, funny read offers perspective and insight about life, death and the medical profession. . . . You can close this book with an appreciation of the miracle that the human body really is.” —Tara Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal “Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting.” —Entertainment Weekly