BOOK REVIEWS—ISIS, 93 : 2 (2002) 291
a series of poster presentations put together by ing that they “create issues where none exist and
Magoun for several national and international . . . couch ideas in such convoluted language that
neuroscience meetings during the early 1980s. the events and concepts become unfamiliar and
Magoun wrote a twenty-seven-page brochure af- difficult to fathom” (p. 279). This position re-
ter receiving much enthusiasm from neurosci- flects their intended audience: neuroscientists in-
entists at these meetings—both students and terested in the history of their field. While there
those more established in the field—and many is certainly room for professional historians of
wanted a publication. science to tackle the history of neuroscience, this
Not surprisingly, given its early beginnings in book will be valuable for historians because lit-
poster presentations, the book is richly illus- erature in the history of neuroscience is sparse.
trated. The chapters are arranged only loosely However, it is likely to be of greater value to
chronologically; their sequence is directed more neuroscientists—in the authors’ words, “those
explicitly by investigative themes. The first workers at the bench who are curious to learn
chapter outlines three basic “postulates” that di- how it all happened.”
rect the organization of the rest of the book and TARA H. ABRAHAM
act as conceptual threads: phylogeny (the evo-
lutionary line of descent of living beings), the Johannes Fabian. Out of Our Minds: Reason
idea of a structural and functional hierarchy in and Madness in the Exploration of Central Af-
the nervous system, and the notion that function rica. xvi 320 pp., illus., app., bibl., index.
determines structure. The last chapter, by way of Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
discussion, moves into twentieth-century devel- $50 (cloth); $19.95 (paper).
opments in the understanding of certain “inte-
grative” systems in the brain and the recognition This book undertakes a voyage back to the co-
by neuroscientists of the need for multidisciplin- lonial heritage of anthropology to investigate the
ary approaches that integrate anatomical, physi- connection between imperial colonialism and
ological, and behavioral perspectives. ethnographic research. It is a history of explor-
The third postulate, the idea that “form ers’ being “out of our minds” with alcohol,
follows function,” receives the most emphasis in drugs, opiates, fatigue, fear, delusions, and anger
the book, and most chapters touch on the oscil- in their search for knowledge. In short, it is a
lating relationship between studies of form story about scientific “travel as tripping” (p. 3).
(anatomy) and studies of function (physiology). Nineteenth-century explorers of Africa often
The book also illustrates certain historical fashioned themselves as intrepid, heroic, and
trends: the anatomical studies of the ancient and courageous seekers and promoters of rational
Renaissance periods, the more physiological knowledge in a wild and savage territory. It is
and clinical studies of the nineteenth century, this myth of science as a progressive conqueror
and the instrument-centered approaches of early of the unknown and the wild that Johannes Fa-
twentieth-century neurophysiology. bian destabilizes through his deconstructive lit-
The book has certain strengths and weak- erary analysis of scientists’ travelogues. We
nesses related to the authors’ perspective as neu- learn that explorers were not self-composed he-
roscientists. As one might expect, elements of roic solitary individuals with the ability to con-
presentism arise, as the work of some investi- trol others in a hostile environment. On the con-
gators is described as “anticipating” that of later trary, explorers gained knowledge when they
scientists, and other research—for example, reached out and embraced the unfamiliar by
J. L. W. Thudichum’s work on brain chemis- stepping outside of their preconceived, estab-
try—is deemed “surprisingly modern” (p. 158). lished, and rationalist framework of exploration.
However, the book gives wonderfully detailed, This experience of the ecstatic (a key word in
precise accounts of scientific developments re- this book) proved fertile ground for scientific re-
lated to brain and behavior. The authors dem- sults.
onstrate a critical mastery of both primary and A fascinating discussion of the role of various
secondary sources, with thorough citations, and ecstatic experiences in the daily life of the ex-
the book comes with a comprehensive bibliog- plorer makes up most of the book. We learn
raphy. about the organizational structure of scientific
Discoveries in the Human Brain does not caravans, the character and personal desires of
place neuroscientific developments within a explorers, the role of auxiliaries and intermedi-
wider cultural or social context, but the authors aries, and the social implications of engaging un-
had no ambitions to do so. They even point to familiar tribal networks. Each explorer’s daily
drawbacks of such historical approaches, argu- struggle to survive such hardships as fever, ma-
292 BOOK REVIEWS—ISIS, 93 : 2 (2002)
laria, and unknown illnesses, often with the use while addressing interesting topics, combine
of foreign medicines, serves as one example of policy analysis and critical cultural theory. Criti-
ecstasy leading to new knowledge. Opiates and cal cultural theory can be intellectually engaging
alcohol were in this respect helpful in easing the at times but is generally irrelevant to public of-
encounters between locals and the explorers, and ficials concerned with specific policy issues.
sexual and erotic relationships between them al- Coping with Sickness is the third and final vol-
legedly secured intimate knowledge of local cul- ume derived from a series of conferences co-
tures. Likewise did the ecstatic experience of sponsored by the European Science Foundation
beating and even killing Africans in order to gain and the Euroconferences Activity of the Euro-
access to the unknown. Fabian’s account of ec- pean Union. The eight essays are organized
static ways to research ends with a long chapter chronologically and cover a range of disparate
about the interest among anthropologists in topics: medical practitioners and the Spanish
studying African tribes familiar with cannabis. Inquisition (José Pardo-Tomás and Alvar
There are many valuable aspects of Fabian’s Martı́nez-Vidal), the history of autopsy legisla-
critical study of early ethnographic research in tion in German since 1800 (Cay-Rüdiger Prull),
Africa, including a rich description of the culture the history of “sadism” as a medical term in the
of scientific expeditions and plenty of evidence nineteenth century (Angus McLaren), folk med-
that the context of ecstatic discovery was differ- icine in Holland in the late nineteenth century
ent from the logic of explanation in scientific (Willem de Blécourt), abortion in Weimar Ger-
papers and books. Few historians now believe many (Cornelie Usborne), drug testing in Africa
without qualification that imperial scientists in the early twentieth century (Helen Power),
were the once-constructed great heroes expand- comparative policies toward STDs (Roger Da-
ing rational knowledge; Fabian admits that in vidson and Lutz D. H. Sauerteig), and the debate
this respect he is “fighting a straw man” (p. 11). over brain death in Germany (Claudia Wiese-
Another problem is that he hardly discusses mann). As might be expected in an anthology of
those travelogues that typify the heroic narrative this sort, the quality varies considerably. None-
of modernity’s march into central Africa, such theless, the subjects addressed in this volume are
as those written by David Livingston and Henry engaging—much to the credit of the editors.
Stanley. Instead, he bases his argument on less Two pieces in particular represent the range
studied diaries and material by explorers such as, of these collected essays. In “Vacher the Ripper
for example, Jérôme Becker, Leo Frobenius, and the Construction of the Nineteenth-Century
Paul Pogge, and Hermann von Wissmann. Sadist,” Angus McLaren, one of the best histo-
Therefore even well-rehearsed historians of co- rians writing on the history of sexuality today,
lonial exploration will find something original to explores the “discovery” of sadism in the late
enjoy (or to bite on). Yet since the narrative of nineteenth century by focusing on the dramatic
heroic exploration is mostly known from the trial of Joseph Vacher, who was charged in 1895
writings of explorers such as Livingston and for the brutal sexual murder of a woman in
Stanley, it is likely that Fabian could have made Champuis. He later confessed to the murder and
his argument stronger if he had scrutinized their the sexual violation of another seven females and
journeys to make his point. This is not to say four males. Vacher had a long history of mental
that this book is not a valuable contribution to illness; indeed, he had been institutionalized in
colonial history of anthropological research— July 1893 following a failed attempt at suicide
worth both time and attention. that left a bullet lodged in his head. At the trial
PEDER ANKER the criminologist Alexandre Lacassagne was
brought in as an expert witness to testify that
John Woodward; Robert Jütte (Editors). Cop- Vacher was not insane but an antisocial sadist,
ing with Sickness: Medicine, Law, and Human as revealed by his dabbling in anarchism, vaga-
Rights—Historical Perspectives. (History of bondism, and homosexuality. As a consequence,
Medicine, Health, and Disease, 3.) xii 211 Vacher was found guilty and given a death sen-
pp., bibl., index. Sheffield, England: European tence.
Association for History of Medicine and Health McLaren finds in this trial an example of the
Publications, 2000. £24.95. social construction of a new medical concept,
“sadism.” The emergence of the concept of sa-
These essays, first presented at a conference, dism, he argues, reflected a “gendered notion” of
“Coping with Sickness,” held in Italy in 1997, defining appropriate male and female behavior;
address ethical and regulatory medical issues physicians at the turn of the century believed that
within a historical context. Many of the essays, “civilized men were most threatened, not by ex-
