The Second Brain : The Scientific Basis of Gut Instinct and a Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines |  | Author: Michael Gershon
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
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Rating:  12 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0060182520
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.32
EAN: 9780060182526
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Amazon.com Review
Did you ever tell someone that they think with their stomach? Then you're on the cutting edge of scientific thought, according to researcher Michael D. Gershon. The title of his book The Second Brain refers to the hundred million nerve cells in and around our guts that often act entirely independently of the dictator inside our heads. This isn't so bad--there are some meals we'd rather not have to think about eating, much less digesting. Gershon tells us the stories of his development into a scientist, his determination to promote neurogastroenterology as a legitimate field of research, and the nature of "the brain gone south," all with humor and aplomb. Though not for the overly squeamish (after all, even if Gershon were to pull his punches, his subject still carries traces of old taboos), The Second Brain is a lively and invigorating read. The illustrations are superb and well labeled; this complements the text, which ranges from clinical to personal, as when the author details the events leading to his mother's tragic death following unnecessary surgery for an ulcer. The interactions between the enteric nervous system and digestion, emotion, and disease are not simple, but Gershon's patient prose explains everything in terms any interested layperson can understand. As in the best scientific works, The Second Brain informs and inspires, surprising the reader with unexpected complexities and mysteries arising in such a seemingly primitive venue. It makes excellent after-dinner reading. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
Dr. Michael D. Gershon's groundbreaking work clearly demonstrates that the human gut actually has a brain of its own. This remarkable scientific breakthrough offers fascinating proof that "gut instinct" is biological, a function of the second brain. An alarming number of people suffer from heartburn, nausea, abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, or related problems. Often thought to be caused by a "weakness" of the mind, these conditions may actually be a reflection of a disorder in the second brain. The second brain, located in the bowel, normally works smoothly with the brain in the head, enabling the head-brain to concentrate on the finer pursuits of life while the gut-brain attends to the messy business of digestion. A breakdown in communication between the two brains can lead to stomach and intestinal trouble, causing sufferers great abdominal grief andtoo oftenlabeling them as neurotic complainers. Dr. Gershon's research into the second brain provides understanding for those who suffer from gut-related ailments and offers new insight into the origin, extent, and management. The Second Brain is the culmination of thirty years of research. It is an extraordinary contribution to the understanding of gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as a fascinating glimpse into hoe our gut really works.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Fascinating read. Plenty of human interest & bio science January 6, 1999
Amazon reviewer (Colorado USA)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
From the author who founded neurogastroenterology. Gershon gets pretty technical, but even a layman (like me) is drawn into his interesting subject. The book chronicles his thirty years of research into the "second brain": the independent nerve mass literally in the gut. Probably most doctors today aren't aware of this whole type of nervous system even though its presence was discovered decades ago. (This is why digestion is not affected by spinal injuries.) Somehow this body of knowledge was forgotton by medicine. 'Eclipsed' is the word the author uses. Gershon "rediscovered" the existence of the second brain and began doing research in the 1960s about the affect of neurotransmitters (like serotonin) and their effect on this bowel brain. In the process of his narrative he explains how different chemicals (like Prozac, LSD, adrenaline, acetylcholine, puffer fish toxin, etc) can affect the brain and the sympathetic and peripheral nervous systems. He also discusses diseases like Alzheimer's, etc. The best part of the book is the author's personal family stories which he weaves into his narration. I was very touched by the story of his mother's death from a bleeding ulcer, surgery and subsequent stroke, and Alzheimers. The only problem with the book is that it is at once too long and too short. Too long because sometimes it gets too technical and was a little hard for me to stay interested and excited. Too short because in spite of covering thirty years of research the story is only a prologue. It's part one and part two remains in the future. What are the implications of the second brain? Will knowledge of how it works help cure diseases? We begin with a monumental reawakening. A re-acknowledgement that the second brain is there. What it means we still don't yet know. We have learned that ulcers are caused by viruses. That some depression may be depression of the bowel brain. That Alzheimers effects both brains. But we don't know if problems with intra-brain communication can cause illness. Have we been treating the wrong brain? Can autism and Parkinson's disease be better treated by concentrating on the gut brain? So much promise for the future, yet still a lack of answers. I finished the book feeling a little incomplete.
A modern primer on the digestive tract, and more April 22, 1999
noelherbst@aol.com (Menlo Park, CA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
The long tradition of first rate scientists who are also talented writers, such as Lewis Thomas and James Watson, is happily continued in "The Second Brain". Gershon describes the operation of the gut for the layman, managing to strike just the right tone without insulting one's intelligence or oversimplifying. The book, frequently witty and amusing, is part memoir and part up-to-date primer on the operation of the gut. A particular triumph is a description of a shootout at a scientific meeting in Cincinnati where Gershon's theories about the importance of seratonin were debated. Later sections of the book become quite technical, such as the seven (?) different varieties of seratonin receptors described in Chapter 9. This is very detailed, but the problem here is that the very complex mechanism that nature has built does not satisfy our wish for simplicity. Gershon tries to show what the scientific struggle to gain understanding is like on the front lines as simple hypotheses often don't work out and complications multiply. In the midst of this complexity, one finds the description of some truly marvelous experiments in embryology. The experimenters replace certain cells of chicken embryos with similar cells from quail embryos. As the embryo develops, it is possible to tell what's become of the originally implanted cells and thus trace the details of embryonic development. The elegance of the experiments and of the tools (immunocytochemical analysis etc.) is very impressive. I would have liked more.
Learning Never Ends April 29, 2009
Dolores D. Bittleman (New York, New York)
This book deserves and needs careful, attentive reading. It's a stunning exposition of relatively ignored fundamental physical processes.
The Second Brain August 5, 2009
silver elves (honolulu, hi.)
If you are planning to be a student of medicine or neuro-psychology, then you seriously might start with this book. Gershon shares his 30 years of research of the gut and its enteric nervous system in a detailed story account, which is technical but very readable to the interested student. It may not be on your official prerequisite reading list given to you by the college you are about to attend, but trust us and read it anyway because it deserves to be for its revolutionary content. Until his research in this book revealed that the gut has nerve cells that act as a second brain, the gut went for too long unrecognized as capable of being an independent functioning organism, and its importance in both medical health as well as psychological health had taken a back seat to the head brain. Therefore, we highly recommend this groundbreaking book.
A wonderfully entertaining book..couldn't put it down! March 9, 1999
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
The right blend of technical detail and engaging human experiences. Now, lets hear some stories about the "first brain" from someone who writes as well as Gershon!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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