Reader in the History of Aphasia

Book excerpt: The study of language and the brain is heavily dependent on the work of the early aphasiologists, and those wanting to get acquainted with the discipline will come across frequent references to these classic authors. This collection brings together seminal publications by 19th- and 20th-century neurologists concerned with the relationship between language and the brain. In selecting texts the emphasis was on those parts that deal explicitly with the opinion of an author on language processes as revealed by aphasic phenomena. All texts are presented in English (many of them translated for the first time), and preceded by in-depth introductions by present-day specialists in the field. The book includes biographical sketches of the authors discussed, and bibliographies of their relevant publications. This volume is invaluable for professionals and students who prefer to read the originals instead of leaning on textbook summaries. Texts by: Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) [Claus Heeschen]; Paul Broca (1824-1880) [Paul Eling]; Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) [Antoine Keyser]; Henry Charlton Bastian (1837-1915) [John C. Marshall]; John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) [Bento P.M.Schulte]; Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) [O.R. Hommes]; Jules Dejerine (1849-1917) [W.O.Renier]; Pierre Marie (1853-1940) [Yvan Lebrun]; Arnold Pick (1851-1924) [A.D.Friederici]; Henry Head (1861-1940) [Patrick Hudson]; Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965) [Ria de Bleser]; Norman Geschwind (1926-1984) [Mary-Louise Kean].