Never at rest. A biography of Isaac Newton

mendable enthusiasm and praiseworthy humility. His object has been to present to his fellow neurologists, especially those entering the speciality, certain topics that he judges to be important, interesting, and handleable. It is, therefore, necessary to realize at once that Dr. Spillane's book is not a history of neurology. It is a survey of selected subjects arranged chronologically, from Galen to the end of the nineteenth century, despite suggestive section headings, such as 'The foundation of neurology', 'An age of transition: philosophy to science', 'The nervous system explored', and 'the flowering of neurology'. Thus, whereas the title is meaningless, the sub-title is an accurate description of the contents of the book. To construct a historical treatise in this fashion leads to a variety of results. Thus all complicated, obscure, and linguistically difficult areas can be avoided, and the endresult becomes a much more readable presentation, with the author's fascination with his material transmitted to the reader. However, no general syntheses are necessary and no theme has to be pursued relentlessly, as with the portrayal of the origins and evolution of a concept. Moreover, in the presentation of an episode in the history of a technical discipline, the vital external influences moulding an idea need not be dealt with. The relationship between various developing notions, which should provide some impression of overall progress, can likewise be avoided. The choice of Dr. Spillane's "chapters" has, as he admits, led to an individual approach, naturally enough, but also to imbalance and even distortion. His book is based mainly on men, rather than on concepts. Thus the studies of Galvani are given considerable space, but none of the nineteenth-century electrophysiologists is mentioned, so that his contribution, which is well surveyed, is presented as an unrelated event leading nowhere. In some cases, a person is discussed because of his curious nature, not his historical relevance. Swedenborg is an example of this: a man who may have been a visionary, but who had no influence on the history of neurology. On the whole, German-writing neuro-scientists and neurologists have been grossly neglected, and the Frenchand English-writers given more consideration than they deserve. Finally, little attempt is made to explore the close links between medical neurology and neuro-surgery and psychiatry. Nevertheless, taking into account the obvious hazards of Dr. Spillane's method of dealing with the history of clinical neurology, he has produced an excellent book within the confines he has imposed. He has an attractive style, and has documented his text accurately and fully, obviously with a detailed knowledge of the secondary literature. His choice of illustrations is felicitous and, although some are well known, many are not. Dr. Spillane must, therefore, be commended for producing an elegant book which can be recommended to those seeking an understanding of some of the origins of present-day neurological practice, providing they are aware of its limitations. Edwin Clarke Wellcome Institute