HISTNEUR-L: The History of Neuroscience Internet Forum

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Animal Thought 

Throughout the period from 500 BC till around 1700, I have found
scattered references describing the differences between human and animal
brains. For example, Erasistratus, Thomas Willis and others  say that the
human brain is more convoluted than other animals, and of course
Aristotle says that it is larger. I have also found many references about
the abilities that other animals do or do not have. I have not found,
however, why they do or do not have these abilities. 

Essentially, I have been trying to correlate claims of differential
mental ability of humans as 
against the other animals with the concepts of cerebral anatomy and the
ventricular doctrine. At this point, I have concluded that the writers
were not interested in whether there was in fact an anatomical
justification for the differences they were making.

Does anyone know of any citations that would challenge this view?

Thanks,

Christopher Robinson
University of Alabama-Birmingham

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