Brainspotting

“This slim book of ten autobiographical essays functions, in a way, as a ward round. It’s a circumambulation of Lees’s clinical career . . . Lees’s attempt to bring more soul to medical practice would surely have sat well with Oliver Sacks (and even Dr. House).” Bellevue Literary Review

“A fascinating and riveting book. A.J. Lees is that rare phenomenon: a literary stylist of the first rank who combines a fine aesthetic sensibility with deep scientific knowledge… After reading this book, you will never feel the same about the words mind, body and soul.” —Andrew Hussey

“An exceptional compendium of marvellous phenomena that can captivate the imagination of students and neurologists to this day. . . . Lees’ writing style combines anatomical precision with ethereal poetry, which is reflected in his practice and teachings. . . . Brainspotting is a vibrant testimony of Lees’ love for clinical neurology, the value of observation in a world of randomised trials, and a melancholic battle cry against hasty, profit-driven, virtual, touchless, ‘scan-negative’ medicine. The book reminds us that the art of clinical neurology allows for remarkable discoveries nearly everywhere, provided that our senses remain open and clear.” —The Lancet

“The inevitable comparison of Lees with the late, great Oliver Sacks is entirely just.” —Raymond Tallis

“A subtle, brilliant and unputdownable appeal for the place of the human factor in the practise of neurology during the age of fMRI and Google. . . . A remarkable book.” —Robert McCrum