Featured New Book Titles, 08/09/07

Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders. Parts I and II / volume editors, William C. Koller and Eldad Melamed. Edinburgh ; New York : Elsevier, 2007

New Book Shelf | WL100 H192 v.83 pt.1 2007

Book Description (Amazon):
The two volumes on Parkinsons disease in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series cover a group of disorders that constitute the commonest of neurodegenerative diseases and one that is assuming ever greater importance with the ageing of the population in developed countries. The coverage reflects the dramatic advances in understanding of the biochemical background of parkinsonism and the resulting developments in the pharmacological management of the disease. These volumes give a comprehensive account of the subject for both clinical neurologists and those researching in the neurosciences.

Part I covers the scientific background, general aspects of Parkinsons disease, clinical aspects and etiology. Part II covers the medical and surgical treatment of Parkinsons disease, complications of therapy and the other parkinsonian syndromes.


Clinical Ophthalmology : A Systematic Approach / Jack J. Kanski. Edinburgh : Butterworth-Heinemann Elsevie , c2007.

New Book Shelf | WW140 K13c 2007

Book Description (Amazon):
CLINICAL OPHTHALMOLOGY has been a trusted reference through five editions for thousands of students and practitioners. Established as one of the world's leading ophthalmic resources it has now been updated for a new generation of readers with online materials including full text, downloadable images and self-assessment tools. These and many additional features ensure its continuing place as a leading textbook in its field.


The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God / David J. Linden. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007.

New Book Shelf | Linden

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The brain, that "cobbled-together mess," is the subject of this lively mix of solid science and fascinating case histories. Linden, a neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins University, offers "the Reader's Digest version" of how the brain functions, followed quickly by the "real biology," before tackling the big questions: Why are people religious? How do we form memories? What makes sleep so vital to mental health? Which is more important, nature or nurture? Linden tackles these problems head on, debunking myths (people do, in fact, use more than 10 percent of their brains) and offering interesting trivia (Einstein's brain was a bit on the small side) along the way. Anti-evolutionary arguments are answered in a chapter titled "The Unintelligent Design of the Brain," in which Linden proposes that it's the brain's "weird agglomeration of ad hoc solutions" that makes humans unique. The book's greatest strength is Linden's knack for demystifying biology and neuroscience with vivid similes (he calls the brain, weighing two percent of total body weight and using 20 percent of its energy, the "Hummer H2 of the body"). Though packed with textbook-ready data, the book grips readers like a masterful teacher; those with little science experience may be surprised to find themselves interested in-and even chuckling over-the migration of neurons along radial glia, and anxious to find out what happens next.

Have suggestions for purchases? Contact Karen Grigg at grigg012@mc.duke.edu