Marion's Blog

The Soul Made Flesh by Carl Zimmer

I received Soul Made Flesh by Carl Zimmer for Christmas. After reading and enjoying A Perfect Union I thought I would take a break from reading history. Not because I am bored with history... the more history I read the more I want to read - but I am interested in lots of things including science and Soul Made Flesh is about the brain. But it turns out Soul Made Flesh is about history - the history of science and  medicine. This shouldn't have been a surprise to me since the subtitle of the book is The Discovery of the Brain -- and How it Changed the World. I devoured this book and I learned a whole bunch of stuff I knew nothing about.

I learned about Aristotle, Plato and Galen and their theories of the soul and the body, I especially enjoyed learning about the English Civil war and the late 1600's when people were leaving England to settle in North America. The scientific discoveries during this period were extensive. It is fascinating to see how the civil war opened up the possibility of doing experiments to prove theories.

The central story of Soul Made Flesh is the story of Thomas Willis and his contemporaries in the Oxford Circle, Boyle, Wren and Petty. As England got rid of King Charles and as Oliver Cromwell took power Willis and friends developed the technology to study the brain --  preservatives, microscopes and injections. I always think of Sir Christopher Wren as the architect of St Paul's cathedral but he performed the first successful injection. I knew about Boyle's law (P1*V1*T1=P2*V2*T2) from physics class but I had no idea that his experiments led to an understanding of the function of the lungs.

In 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne Willis who was a royalist was able to complete his study of the brain and publish his book "The Anatomy of the Brain and the Nerves". It went through 23 editions and "well into the nineteenth century it would be required reading for anyone who would call himself an expert on the brain." Amazingly the illustrations were all done by Christopher Wren.

 Surprisingly (to me) Soul Made Flesh also gave insight into the seeds that were being planted for the American revolution. Cromwell's New Model Army was " a new experiment in democracy". Thomas Locke was a student of Willis. He is also the reason so few people today know about Willis.  Although Willis completely revolutionized and corrected man's understanding of the brain he still used completely ineffectual treatments on his patients. He based his description of the brain on observations but it was Locke and his friend Sydenham who based their practice of medicine on what they could prove through experiment worked. "Anatomy, Locke and Sydenham declared, "will be no more able to direct a physician how to cure a disease than how to make a man". It is really only recently that we have come back to a belief that understanding the anatomy of the brain can help us understand how to cure it's diseases. "Thanks to Locke philosophers stopped looking to the physical world to understand morality"

Thomas Locke went on to publish and become famous for his book "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding"  which made the argument that people were entitled to overthrow a leader who violated their natural rights. His writings and especially this principal greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and our other founding fathers. 

I really enjoyed this book. Carl Zimmer is a great author. He makes complicated and diverse subjects fascinating.

100 Books in 2009

Some days I can start reading blogs and following links forever. It is enormously engrossing. I move from one interesting post to another. It is like wandering through a giant department store of interesting people. Today is one of those days. I started with the list of elderbloggers that Ronni added to her elderblogger list at Time Goes By and went from there. When I find a blog that I feel a connection to I add it to my Google Reader list. Today I've added about 10 blogs to my list.

During my browsing I decided to sign up for the 100 BOOKS IN 2009 challenge as presented on J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Here is what I've read so far in 2009 with links to my reviews.

1. A Perfect Union, Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation
2. Soul Made Flesh - The Discovery of the Brain -- and How it Changed the World
3. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
4. One True Theory of Love by Laura Fitzgerald   2/5/2009
5. John Quincy Adams - A Public Life, A Private Life by Paul C. Nagel  2/18/2009
6. Founding Mothers - The Women who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts 2/25/2009
7. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean 3/5/09
8. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin 3/8/09
9. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster 3/11/2009
10. Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher 3/18/2009
11. Angels Fall by Nora Roberts 3/27/2009
12. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 3/29/2009
13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 4/1/2009
14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 4/30/2009
15. Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett 5/5/2009
16. Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts 5/7/2009
17. American Lion by Jon Meacham 5/26/2009
18. Returning to Earth by Jim Harrison 5/29/2009
19. The Increment by David Ignatius 6/2/2009
20. Introducing C. B. Greenfield by Lucille Kallen 6/12/2009
21. A book of bees by Sue Hubbell 7/5/2009
22. Different Seasons by Stephen King 7/16/2009
23. The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick 7/17/2009
24. Martin Van Buren by Ted Widmer 7/23/2009
25. The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff 8/1/2009
26. Street Fighters by Kate Kelly 8/3/2009
27. Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell 8/6/2009
28. Coming Home by Posamunde Pilcher 8/19/2009
29. Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin 8/20/2009
30. Catherine de Medici - Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda 8/28/09
31. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 9/3/2009
32. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell 9/5/2009
    
33. Sense and Sensability by Jane Austin 9/14/09
34. Dancing to the Precipice by Caroline Moorehead 10/9/09
35. Old Tippecanoe - William Henry Harrison and His Time 11/18/2009

The deal with the challenge is that I will add books to this list as I finish them.

I don't think I'll make it to 100 but it is fun to keep a list of what I am reading this year.

Snowshoeing to Matrimony Ridge

Last Monday Duke and I went with the Sierra Canyon Hiking and snowshoeing group to Matrimony ridge. It was a beautiful day and a great hike. You can see the pictures on Flickr here.

A New Book and a Tamale contest

I see from the Tucson Tamale Company blog that they now ship tamales. I am ordering some today!!

And in  another post Todd has a very funny video about his friend's new book One True Theory of Love by Laura Fitzgerald with a contest for free tamales when you read the book. Watch the video here.

Todd is a friend. He was my boss at Intuit. I'll let you all know how the tamales are.

A Perfect Union, Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation

I just finished reading Catherine Allgor's book,  A Perfect Union, Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. Here are a few of things I found interesting:

• One of Dolley Madison's biggest contributions was that she created ways for the men who were the American Government to get things done. In 1800 the congress had no structure or rules. The new government of the U.S. and the men who were a part of it believed that there was only one possible common good and that anyone who didn't agree with their view was wrong. People like John Madison and Thomas Jefferson believed that there should only be only one party in American politics.

"Unfortunately, two different camps believed this. To each one -- the Federalists and the Republicans-- the other party was a "faction," a source of danger and disorder and a very personal as well as national threat.  In such an atmosphere. legislators did not even tolerate a discussion that included difference."

Dolley didn't like conflict. She created friendships with everyone. She brought the politicians who thought of themselves as individuals and enemies together socially. She held weekly gatherings called drawing rooms and everyone was invited.

"In or out of the government, only at Dolley's events could political enemies get to know one another in circumstances that demanded the best of them. Government officials fought physically on the floor of congress, in their boardinghouses, and on the street; but they dared not strike one another with ladies present. ..... If for no other reason than this, the drawing room contributed to the construction of a workable government."

• Two of the things that Thomas Jefferson detested most were " the English and political, intellectual woman."  Elizabeth Merry the English ambassador's wife during the Jefferson administration embodied these things. In contrast Dolley Madison was always very careful to be what woman of the time were expected to be, nurturing, polite and seemingly uninterested in politics. In fact she was a smart and very political woman.

• Picture this :-) On June 1, 1812 when the House of Representatives was debating the resolution to go to war with Britain the Federalist tried to stop the war resolution with a filibuster.

 "The Republicans responded by throwing spittoons, a surprisingly effective move. The sudden clang of metal stopped the speaker in mid-sentence, allowing the Republicans to declare the delaying tactic ended."

• Dolley stayed at the White House until just a few hours before the British marched into Washington and burned the White House. The true story of her staying until the large painting of George Washington had been saved is part of our identity as Americans.

• Dolley created the "unofficial office" of First Lady.

"The First Lady answers the crucial need for the ceremonial in American politics; quite deliberately, the Constitution downplays the role of the ceremonial in its formula for a weak central government, ruled by law and not by personality."

"Ceremonial symbolism, which operates on emotional and psychological levels, unites people. In ordinary times, Dolley's performance supplied a kind of structure that allowed the government to function, unifying (or at least gathering) the branches of government and the individuals within those branches. Dolley also held the nation together in a time of crisis, and, by her ceremonial symbolism, allowed Americans, many of who might never leave the town of their birth, to imagine themselves as part of a larger entity--- as citizens of the United States of America"

• The author, Catherine Allgor is a fascinating woman. According to her biographies and interviews on the web she worked as an actress for eleven years and then went back to school to study history. She attended Mount Holyoke College and then got her PhD from Yale. In a short autobiography in 2000 after her first book Parlor Politics was published she said;

"Being a historian, I am conscious of dates and anniversaries. Holding my first book in my hands this fall would be meaningful moment enough. But it was exactly ten years ago this fall that I sold my stuff, packed up my car and arrived at Mount Holyoke. I had no idea of what "I was going to do when I grew up," had never turned on a computer or written a paper. And now a book"

I thoroughly enjoyed A Perfect Union. After reading so many presidential biographies it was fun to learn about a woman of the same period. Dolley was 8 when the declaration of Independence reached the town she was living in and she lived until 1841 when she died at 81. It was also fascinating to learn the key role she played in creating our country and to think about how many of her lessons and strategies are still relevant today.

I'm passionate about using social networking to build your brand.

I follow Robert Scoble (scobelizer) on Twitter. I often learn new stuff or find new interesting people. At the Consumer Electronics Show Scoble was on a panel about blogging with Gary Vaynerchuk who does a really cool video blog called Wine Library TV and also has his own personal video blog. I love finding new people like this. If you want some great entertainment that will make you laugh watch the segment when Vaynerchuk was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien or if you want to branding and social media watch Gary's  latest segment on his personal website. The guy is just plain entertaining.

What Vaynerchuk does with WineLibraryTV is a great example of how to use social networking to help build your business. My friend Todd who just started The Tucson Tamale Company is in the early stages of doing the exact same thing. You can follow him on twitter (tucsontamales or cornartist) I haven't talked to him about this but I could see him doing tamaleTV.com :-) Todd is doing a great job of building the Tucson Tamale Company brand.

A side note: I haven't tried Tucson Tamale Company tamales yet but Todd says he is going to do mail order soon. I can't wait!

Snowshoeing at Donner Summit

Duke and I went snowshoeing with the Sierra Canyon hiking and snowshoeing group today. We parked at the snow-park at Donner pass off of Interstate 80 and hiked along the Pacific Crest Trail over towards highway 40.  It was a beautiful cold day. Most of the snow around here in Reno has melted but up at Donner Summit where we were snowshoeing there was still lots of snow. There were 14 people in the group so we got to see a lot of friends and meet a few new people. It was so good to be out. I am including a few of my pictures below. You can see the rest on Flickr here.

Below is a picture of me on the lake where we stopped for lunch.

Here you can see the whole group crossing a lake on the way back.

Accomplishment in the Second Half of a Life

In the last year and a half since my Mother died I have thought more about my own mortality. Her death has focused my thoughts on what I want to do with the rest of my life.  Even though I am only 55 I think about the fact that I am getting old. I don't want my life accomplishments to be behind me.

 I just finished reading John Marshall - Definer of a Nation by Jean Edward SmithOne of the things that really struck me about Marshall and has struck me about all of the biographies I have read in the past couple of years is how many of the accomplishments of these great people happen in the later years of their lives. Granted, these accomplishments are often a culmination of the work of their whole lives. But they also take on new challenges as they get older.

For example in 1826 when Marshall was 71 he accepted an offer to edit the papers of George Washington.

In the McCullough Biography of John  Adams Abigail Adams wrote about her husband that  "Your father's zeal for books will be one of the last desires which will quit him." ...as the 81 year old Adams eagerly embarked on reading a sixteen volume French history."

Adams and Jefferson began an exchange of letters in 1812 when Jefferson was 69 and Adams was 77. Jefferson's biographer R.B. Bernstein describes their correspondence as "one of the great correspondences in the history of American letters". In 1816 Jefferson wrote to Adams, "I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern."

James Madison was 66 when he worked with Jefferson and Monroe and others to found the University of Virginia.

I like writing, I like history, I like writing this blog. It seems to me that writing the blog is one way to improve my writing through practice. Writing about what I am learning is also a way to learn from my historical reading.  I am almost embarrassed to admit it but my dream is to write a historical book one day. I feel like I am just beginning on the learning but this year I want to write more and read more in order to move me toward that end.

I'd love advice on how to improve my writing and accelerate my learning.

Trip to New York City

Duke and I got back Wednesday night from a week in New York City. The catalyst for the trip was our niece's wedding on January 3rd. Here are a few highlights from the trip.

• The wedding was beautiful and wonderful. The ceremony, the bride and groom, the wedding party, the reception were all perfect. A lot of family and friends flew in from all over the country. It was held in the chapel at Riverside Church on the upper East side of New York City. What a stunning church. It reminded me of the most beautiful European cathedrals.

To top it all off, sitting across from me at the reception was  a lady who looked very familiar. It turns out she is the wife of a good friend of the groom's family. I worked with her at Sun about 20 years ago and haven't seen her or talked to her since then. Small world!

• We ate at some wonderful restaurants while we were in New York. Around the corner from our hotel we happened upon a little Italian restaurant that we liked so much that we ate there twice. Mario's Trattoria bills itself as having "New York's best Brick oven pizza and pasta from Napoli" Both times that we ate there we had pizza. Oh was it good! I had never had an egg as an ingredient on my pizza but it added a rich flavor to the pizza. The restaurant was tiny but the service was great and the ambiance was cozy and warm.

The bride and groom sent out a list of some of their favorite restaurants and we tried two of them. The Chow Bar in the West Village serves Asian influenced food. Kathy and Wes recommended the calamari salad and the spring rolls. We tried both. My mouth was very happy.

The Hummus Place was on a narrow little street also in the village. We went there for dinner after jazz at the Blue Note. It was raining out. We sat at a table in the window and ate a sampler of appetizers. It was our last dinner in New York and it was perfect.

• Most people already have a mental picture of the New York sites so I didn't lug my camera around. Instead I just made my own mental pictures. The highlights include the view from the Empire State building at night. The lines during the day were terrible but at night they weren't so bad and the view at night was stupendous.

The tour of Rockefeller Center. The buildings themselves are works of art and the history and interiors are fascinating. There is a mural on the ceiling of the lobby of the main building that gives you an optical illusion. From one side of the lobby he is standing on his left foot and looking down. From the other side of the lobby he is standing on his right foot and looking down. It is not at all subtle and is very impressive.

We got half price tickets to see the play Speed The Plow on Broadway. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also fun to see an actress I really like, Elizabeth Moss who plays the female lead. I love her as Peggy Olson in one of my favorite television shows, Mad Men. I didn't realize it until I read the credits but she also played Zoey Bartlett on West Wing.

We walked everywhere and it was really cold. Luckily it only rained on us as we were walking to Penn Station to get the train to the airport. It was a wonderful packed week. I'm really glad we went and I am really glad to be home.