Clinical Neuromythology: And Other Arguments and Essays, Pertinent and Impertinent

In the second edition of this unique and hugely popular title, William Landau extends his provocative rhetorical critique of the language, logic and epistemology behind contemporary neurology, and by extension, the wider medical profession. Maintaining a razor sharp wit and an emphasis on rigour and clarity over 105 separate editorials, essays and letters, Dr. Landau continues to illustrate the shaky logic, obfuscatory language and mythology which pervades much contemporary "wisdom" about medical practice and discourse. He has produced a volume which advocates a more logical, inquisitive approach which would benefit all students, house officers and fellows in neurology, yet could also aid any medical student or professional keen to understand and challenge popular conventions in thinking and writing about modern medicine.
Following the success of the first edition, new material has been added: a new section concerns pain and pain management, addressing the confusion of temperomandibular pain and the efficacy and risk of intraspinal steroid treatment. Discussion of the controversy surrounding treatment for parkinsonism includes the failure of embryonic brain transplantation and the success of electrical brain stimulation. The slippery controversies regarding dietary fat, the obesity epidemic, cholesterol, stroke risk and treatment are also described.

Spis treści:
Preface.
Robert B. Daroff.
Foreword.
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FIRING OF MARCUS GUNN.
Landau WM. Clinical Neuromythology I: The Marcus Gunn phenomenon: Loose canon of neuro–opthalmology.
Neurology 38:1141–1142, 1988.
Landau WM. Reply to letters to the editor: Clinical neuromythology I: The Marcus Gunn phenomenon: Loose canon of neuro–opthalmology: Swinging flashlight test. Neurology 39:154–156, 1989.
Burde RM, Landau, WM. Clinical neuromythology XII: Shooting backward with Marcus Gunn: A circular exercise in paralogic. Neurology 44:2422, 1994.Burde RM, Landau WM. Reply to letter to the editor: Marcus Gunn pupil. Neurology 44:2422, 1994.
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UPPER MOTOR NEURON.
Phillips CG, Landau WM. Clinical neuromythology VIII: Upper and lower motor neuron: The little old synecdoche that works. Neurology 40: 884–886, 1990.
Landau WM. Letter to the editor: Is hyporeflexia a lower motor neuron sign? Neurology 44:2416–2417, 1994.
Landau, WM. Letter to the editor: Denervation in paraplegia. Neurology 42:2306, 1992.
Landau, WM. Letter to the editor: Neuroanatomy of the pyramidal decussation. J. Neurosurg 65:884, 1986.
Landau, WM. Letter to the editor: Cruciate paralysis. J. Neurosurg 19:676, 1986.
Landau, WM. Letter to the editor: Cruciate paralysis. J. Neurosurg 77:329, 1992.
Landau, WM. Discussion of Van Der Meulen J, Denny–Brown DE, Gliman S. Patterns of cortical ablations leading to dystonic postures. Trans Am Neurol Assoc 89:117–121, 1964.
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BABINSKI LIVES.
Landau, WM. Babinski′s Reflex, Sign of. In: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Elsevier Science B.V. London, 1999.
Landau, WM. Commentary: The useful enterprise of scratching baby feet. J. Child Neurol 7:314, 1992.
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STIFFING SPASTICITY.
Landau, WM. Spasticity: The fable of a neurological demon and the emperor′s new therapy. Arch Neurol 31:217–219, 1974.
Landau WM. Reply to letter to the editor: Dysfunction from defacilitation. Arch Neurol 32:421–422, 1974.
Landau, WM. Spasticity: What is it? What is it not? In: Feldman RG, Young RR, Koella WP eds. Spasticity: Disordered Motor Control: Chicago, Symposia Specialists, Yearbook Medical Publishers, pp 17–24, 1980.
Landau, WM. Clinical neuromythology II: Parables of palsy pills and PT pedagogy: A spastic dialectic. Neurology 38:1496–1499, 1988.
Landau, WM, Feldman RG. Letter to the editor: Baclofen for spasticity. Neurology 42: 2056, 1992.
Landau WM. Clinical neuromythology XIV: Ther e you go again: The steadfast fad of fixing spasticity. Neurology 45:2295–2296, 1995.
Landau WM. Muscle tone: Hypertonus, spasticity, rigidity. In: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Elsevier Science B.V., London, 1999.
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CUTTING AND PATCHING FOR PALSY.
Landau WM, Hunt CC. Dorsal rhizotomy, a treatment of unproven efficacy. J Child Neurol 5:174–178, 1990.
Landau WM. Correspondence: Selective posterior rhizotomy: Further comments. J Child Neurol 6:173–180, 1991.
Landau WM, Hunt CC. Correspondence: Dorsal rhizotomy. J Child Neurol 6:277–278, 1991.
Landau WM, Hunt CC. Letter to the editor: Surgical management of spastic diplegia. N Engl J Med 327:566–567, 1992.
McLaughlin JF, Bjornson KF, Astley SJ, Graubert C, Hays RM, Roberts TS, Price R, Temkin N. Selective dorsal rhizotomy: Efficacy and safety in an investigator masked randomized clinical trial, Dev Med Child Neurol 40.220–232, 1998.
Bodensteiner JB, Rich KM, Landau WM. Editorial: Early Infantile surgery for birth–related brachial plexus injuries: Justification requires a prospective controlled study. Arch Neurol J Child Neurol 9:109–110, 1994.
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DEPRENYL DATA AND DEBRIS .
Landau WM. Clinical neuromythology IX: Pyramid sale in a bucket shop: DATATOP bottoms out. Neurology 40:1337–1339, 1990.
Landau WM. Special correspondence: DATATOP and clinical neuromythology IX, Neurology 41:771–777, 1991.
Daroff RB. Correspondence to the editor: Neuromythology IX and DATATOP. Neurology 41:1703–1704, 1991.
Fahn S, Landau WM. Is there a role for MAO–B–inhibitiors? In: Parkinson′s Disease: Controversial Issues in Therapy. Second International Congress of Movement Disorders 38–43, 1992.
Landau WM. Letter to the editor: Selegiline. Neurology 43:2728, 1993.
Olanow CW, Calne D, Does selegiline monotherapy in Parkinson′s disease act by symptomatic or protective mechanisms? Neurolog y 42:(suppl 4) 13–26, 1991.
Ward CD. Does selegiline delay progression of Parkinson′s disease? A critical re–evaluation of the DATATOP study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiat 57:217–220, 1994.
Olanow CW, Hauser RA, Gauger L, Malapira T, Kollwer W, Perlmutter JS, Hubble J, Bushenbark K, Lilienfeld D, Esterlitz J. The effect of deprenyl and levodopa on the progression of Parkinson′s disease. Ann Neurol 38:771–777, 1995.
Parkinson Study Group. Impact of deprenyl and tocopherol treatment on Parkinson′s disease: DATATOP subjects not requiring levodopa. Ann Neurol 39:29–36, 1996.
Parkinson Study Group. Impact of deprenyl and tocopherol treatment on Parkinson′s disease in DATATOP subjects requiring levodopa. Ann Neurol 39:37–45, 1996.
Koller WC. Neuroprotective therapy for Parkinson′s Disease. Exp. Neurol 144:24–28, 1997.
Klawans HL. Chekhov′s Lie. New York, Demos Vermande, 1997, pp 101–102; 165–167; 211; 217–218.
Parkinson Study Group. DATATOP: A Decade of Inquiry. Ann Neurol 44:S160–S166, 1998.
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PARKINSONIAN PERENNIAL TRANSPLANTATION GARDEN.
Landau WM. Letter to the editor: Mucking around with Peter Pan. Ann Neurol 24:464, 1988.
Landau WM. Clinical neuromythology VII: Artificial intelligence: The brain transplant cure for parkinsonism. Neurology 40:733–740, 1990 177.
Landau WM. Clinical neuromythology X: Faithful fashion: Survival status of the brain transplant cure for parkinsonism. Neurology 43:644–649, 1993.
Landau WM. Special correspondence: Tissue transplants for PD. Neurology 44:575–577, 1994.
Landau WM. Letter to the editor addendum: More on tissue transplantation in PD. Neurology 44:992, 1994.
Folkerth RD, Durso R. Survival and proliferation of nonneural tissues, with obstruction of cerebral ventricles, in a parkinsonian patient treated with fetal allografts (Abstract). Neurology 46:1219–122