Five Scientists at Johns Hopkins in the Modern Evolution of Neuroscience

Neuroscience’s evolution at Johns Hopkins, from neurophysiology to the new field of neurobiology, though unplanned, was rapid and important. Beginning in 1933 when Philip Bard became professor of physiology at Johns Hopkins, members of his department concentrated initially on neuroanatomical control of placing reactions and sexual activity. Vernon Mountcastle, extending available techniques, discovered vertical somato-sensory columns in the 1950's. Stephen Kuffler, who arrived at Hopkins in 1947, was a pioneer in single unit microelectrode recording techniques. He soon attracted scientists from all over the world to his laboratory. Among them, Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel discovered vertical neuronal columns in the visual cortex. During several decades at Johns Hopkins, these five scientists set extremely high scientific standards and established a climate of inquiry in which ideas were shared and young scientists encouraged. They contributed significantly to the emerging discipline of neuroscience.     

Varieties of publication patterns in neuroscience at the cognitive turn

The quantification of publication activity and impact has become a key element in the evaluation of scientific excellence. However, it is unclear to what extent this grasps the diversity of research communication that accompanies the transition of scientific fields. This contribution investigates number, categorization, and impact of publications (i.e., publication patterns) of six scientists active at the cognitive turn, which promoted the information processing perspective on neuronal processes in different communities: Horace Barlow, Theodore Bullock, Ralph Gerard, Donald MacKay, Warren McCulloch, and Werner Reichardt. The large variety of publication patterns revealed indicates the limits of standardized evaluation procedures based on publication activity.     

Nobel laureates at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn: phenomenology and paths to discovery in neuroscience

The practice of science usually involves more than a solitary genius in a solitary room, coping with the problem of her/his life. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, scientific research, especially in the field of the Natural Sciences, has grown into a more and more complex practice, which often entangles very special needs, in terms of research objects, techniques, sources, and perspectives. A few special places, such as the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli, have represented in this period the focal points of an ever growing international scientific network, promoting independent research, exchange and diffusion of novel practices and techniques and unrestricted confrontation. The so-called "Naples experience" has been cited by a large number of renowned scientists of the last two centuries as a key moment in their scientific life. Here we have tried to test it against the experience of three great scientists par excellence, i.e. three Nobel laureates (T. H. Morgan, Otto Warburg, J. D. Watson). The different experiences they have had at Naples represent, in our view, three different moments of the professional life of almost every scientist. Therefore, we have chosen to present them as a phenomenology. The final section is dedicated to a survey of the Zoological Station's contribution to neurosciences, especially to the Naples experience of the Nobel Prize winner Sir Bernard Katz and his assistant Ricardo Miledi, between 1965 and 1970. Their work on the squid at Naples allowed probing and quantitative refinement of results already obtained on different animals and contributed to reinforce the long lasting neurophysiological tradition of the institute.     

近代东亚工业技术的演化:以丰田织布机为例

丰田织布机的创造和传播是近代东亚工业技术演化的一个实例。丰田佐吉凭借"逆着潮流游泳"的熊彼特式企业家精神,成功开发了丰田织布机这一技术产品,带动了日本工业化的发展。1920年代,通过拆解仿制,中国的大隆机器厂等企业也成功制造出丰田织布机。抗战胜利后,中国机器制造公司通过丰田的技术转让,获取了丰田式自动织机的制造能力。发明创新、逆向工程与技术转让构成了近代东亚工业技术演进的三条路径,后发国家需要凭借企业家的精神动力克服技术演化中的难关,尤其需以"非理性"的动机超越市场需求中理性决策对技术发展的抑制。对后进国的技术演化而言,意识形态起着关键作用。     

近现代贵州古琴艺术的历史沿革及发展

古琴作为中华民族最早的弹弦乐器之一,在西南少数民族主要聚居地之一的贵州如何传承与发展,成为值得思考的问题。文章旨在介绍古琴艺术在贵州近百年的发展状况,为这门古老的艺术今后在贵州的发展提供一些参考,同时为相关的文献研究提供重要例证。     

Historiography and historians of neuroscience: towards diversity in the ISHN

This article introduces and critiques the historiographical tradition of the history of the neurosciences as it has been established in the International Society for the History of the Neurosciences (ISHN). The founding members of the ISHN were practitioner-historians, practitioners of the neurosciences with an interest in the great moments, ideas and controversies in the history of their field. The historiographical precedent set by these clinician-historians emphasized those aspects of history most interesting to them. Academic historians bring a different approach to the history of neurosciences, particularly an interest in studying the intellectual and cultural contexts of both the inherited and the forgotten ideas about the nervous system. Their approach to history has not been well presented in the ISHN, in part because the current historiographical tradition does not address their interests. This article highlights the methodological and epistemological differences between academic and practitioner-historians and discusses the difficulties that other historical societies have faced in trying to bring them together. The article then suggests ideas for symposia that might facilitate an interdisciplinary dialogue and a revised historiographical tradition that speaks to the needs of both academic and historians and practitioner historians.     

Women in neuroscience (WIN): the first twenty years

Women in Neuroscience (WIN) is an international organization whose major goal is to promote the professional advancement of women neuroscientists. To this end, WIN facilitates contacts and communication among women working in neuroscience, and organizes appropriate activities at the annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting. WIN was created in 1980, when despite major changes and advances in 'equal opportunities', women were still not achieving a proportionate level of success in the subdiscipline of neurosciences. In 1980, women made up 40 to 50% of entering classes in medical schools or graduate programs, but often comprised only 5 to 15% of leadership in respective organizations. Although there had been women elected to serve as SfN presidents, council, and committee members, women were under-represented in other positions of the Society, such as symposium and session chairs. There was an even lesser degree of representation in leadership positions at universities and medical schools in terms of full professorships, chairs, and program directors, as well as on editorial boards, advisory boards, and councils. Over the years, WIN has worked with success toward increasing the participation of women in neuroscience.     

Ivane Beritashvili: founder of physiology and neuroscience in Georgia

This paper is dedicated to one of the outstanding scientists of the twentieth century--Ivane Beritashvili. He was a Georgian physiologist who graduated from St. Petersburg University and worked under the supervision of N. Wedensky. He founded the Department of Physiology and the Institute of Physiology at the University of Tbilisi, Georgia. Among his numerous contributions was the discovery of the rhythmical course of reciprocal inhibition in spinal reflexes, the first demonstration of the excitatory and inhibitory reactions in the brain stem neuropil. But Beritashvili's most significant contribution was the discovery of the mediation of animal psychoneural behavior by image-driven memory.     

The early history of the neuroscience of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Research on the neurobiology and pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown exponentially since 1980. A reasonable question is whether this research has improved our understanding and treatment of ADHD. This article describes relevant developments that took place roughly between 1900 and 1970. During this time, the efficacy of stimulant therapy for the disorder was established and the symptoms of ADHD were linked to many possible nervous system disorders including in the brain-stem, reticular formation, diencephalon, basal ganglia, frontal lobes, and cortex. In 1970, the catecholamine hypothesis of ADHD was proposed. It is concluded that early theories about the neurobiologic basis of ADHD anticipated core ideas of modern theory.