AuthorGeoff Bunn
NarratorGeoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
Duration2h 16m
CategoriesAdult Non-Fiction, Science and Nature
PublisherAudio Go Ltd
VersionUnabridged
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Human beings have long been fascinated by the brain and how it fulfils its many functions. This groundbreaking cultural history explores the development of our ideas about the mind from Neolithic times to the present day. Starting with prehistoric trepanation and Ancient Egyptian practices, he then focusses on the ideas of Hippocrates, Galen and early Christian and Islamic scholars. He introduces pioneering scientists such as Thomas Willis and looks at the impact of electricity and evolutionary theory on our understanding of the brain. In addition, he explores the synapse and the part Freud almost played in the history of the brain, reflects on the invention of the EEG, and discovers the impact of neurology on how we understand ourselves today. The series is written and presented by Dr Geoff Bunn of Manchester Metropolitan University. Actors Paul Bhattacharjee and Jonathan Forbes provide the voices of those who have written about the brain across the ages. Actor Hattie Morahan gives the Anatomy Lesson establishing the part of the brain to be highlighted in each episode. The original, atmospheric score is supplied by composer, Barney Quinton. The producer is Marya Burgess.
The History of the Brain, Episode 1
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes, Geoff Bunn
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 1
Duration 15m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 1, 'A Hole in the Head', the focus is on trepanation, the practice of drilling holes in the skull believing that such operations might correct physiological or sp...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 3
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator The Author, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 3
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 3, 'The Origin of Common Sense', the focus is on Ancient Rome with Galen's 'animal spirits' gently inflating the ventricles and making thought possible, and on ho...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 9
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 9
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Episode 9, 'All Or Nothing', focuses on the invention of the electroencephalograph, which made our brain waves visible. Invented by Hans Berger, one of its main proponents w...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 2
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Jonathan Forbes, Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 2
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 2, 'The Blood of The Gladiators', the focus is Ancient Greek scholarship, with Hippocrates' astonishingly prescient belief in the brain as the chief organ of cont...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 4
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 4
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 4, 'Spirits in the Material World', the focus is on Thomas Willis, the 17th century physician after whom the 'Circle of Willis' - the circuit of arteries supplyin...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 8
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 8
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Episode 8, 'The Agony and the Ecstasy', focuses on the collaborative work between Otto Loewi in Austria and Henry Dale in England. They established that communication within...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 10
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 10
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Episode 10, 'Einstein's Brain' focuses on how advances in neurology have influenced our understanding of human's as 'neurochemical selves'. Examining the recent trend to exp...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 7
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 7
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Episode 7, 'Mind the Gap', focuses on how the microscope allowed neurologists to deatil the structure of brain cells. While Sigmund Freud, who started out as a neurologist,...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 6
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Geoff Bunn, Paul Bhattacharjee, Jonathan Forbes
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 6
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. Episode 7, 'Mind the Gap', focuses on how the microscope allowed neurologists to deatil the structure of brain cells. While Sigmund Freud, who started out as a neurologist,...
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The History of the Brain, Episode 5
Author: Geoff Bunn
Author Geoff Bunn
Narrator Jonathan Forbes, Paul Bhattacharjee, Geoff Bunn
SeriesA History of the Brain, Book 5
Duration 13m
Dr. Geoff Bunn presents a journey through 5000 years of our understanding of the most complex thing in the known universe: the brain, in this major ten-part BBC Radio 4 series. In Episode 5, 'The Spark of Being', the focus is on electricity and communication, within the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body. When John Walsh showed, i...
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