Clifford Pickover - Strange Brains & Genius

341 Pages·2011·7.41 MB·English

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SCIENTISTS
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CLIFFORD A. PICKOVER
Strange Brains and Genius
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MUHADHBN
CLIFFORD A. PICKOVER
PLENUM TRADE • NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress CatalogIng-ln-Publteat ton Data
Pickover. CIifford A
Strange brains and genius the secret lives of eccentric
scientists and madmen / Clifford A. Pickover.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-306-45784-9
1. Scientists—Psychology. 2. Genius. 3. Eccentrics and
eccentricities. 4. Scientists—Biography. I. Title
Q147.P53 1998
509 2—dc21 98-10232
CIP
ISBN 0-306-45784-9
© 1998 Clifford A. Pickover
Plenum Press is a Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013-1578
http://www.plenum.com
All rights reserved
1098765432
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or
otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to the cracked,
for they shall let in the light.

CONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
PROFILES
1 The Pigeon Man from Manhattan 9
2 The Worm Man from Devonshire 51
3 The Rabbit-Eater from Lichfield 80
4 The Fly Man from Galway 90
5 The Rat Man from London 98
6 The Mutton Man from London 104
7 The Sprained Brain from Birmingham 113
VII
B J IH Strange Brains and Genius
8 The Ice Man from Cornwall Gardens 141
9 The Hermit from Montana 157
10 Obsession 183
CURIOSITY SMORGASBORD
11 The Brain Shelter 201
12 Where on Earth Is Einstein's Brain? 204
13 Do We Really Use Only 10 Percent of Our Brain? 209
14 The Human Mind Questionnaire 214
FINALE
15 Epilogue 251
16 A Touch of Madness 254
APPENDIXES
A Runners-Up List 279
B Updates and Breakthroughs 298
Notes 311
Further Reading 321
About the Author 326
Index 329
PREfACt
MEN HAVE CALLED ME MAD BUT THE QUESTION IS
NOT YET SETTLED, WHETHER MADNESS IS OR IS NOT
THE LOFTIEST INTELLIGENCE WHETHER MUCH
THAT IS GLORIOUS WHETHER ALL THAT IS
PROFOUND DOES NOT SPRING FROM DISEASE OF
THOUGHT FROM MODES OF MIND EXALTED AT THE
EXPENSE OF THE GENERAL INTELLECT.
EDGAR ALLAN POE
IF A MAN CANNOT KEEP PACE WITH HIS
COMPANIONS, PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE HE HEARS A
DIFFERENT DRUMMER. LET HIM STEP TO THE MUSIC
HE HEARS HOWEVER MEASURED OR FARAWAY.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
IX
X
Strange Brain) and Genius
W
eird Scientists—two words that conjure visions of eccentric re-
searchers marching to drumbeats that no one else can hear. In repres-
sive times, they've been persecuted, but in more enlightened eras
these nonconformists have had the freedom to make great contributions to
science and society. Are their minds like our own, or are they so different
that these geniuses should be viewed as entirely different beings? What do
geniuses have in common, and how can we foster their continued emer-
gence? Is there a link between their obsessions and their creativity?
In this book, I'll avoid the well-known, influential eccentrics: the mad
monks, kleptomaniac kings, and Wall Street sages. I am interested in
scientists and philosophers with strange obsessions and compulsions. For
example, early in Strange Brains and Genius, I discuss two geniuses who
advanced our knowledge on electricity: Nikola Tesla, who had a fear of
pearl earrings, and Oliver Heaviside, who replaced his furniture with
granite blocks that sat in bare rooms like the furnishings of some stone-age
giant. Most of the geniuses discussed in this book were celibate and never
married, but through their energetic nonconformity they achieved great-
ness and changed our lives for the better. Interestingly, all the geniuses
discussed in this book showed signs of brilliance in childhood. Most were
ambitious and concerned with their reputations. Most had deep convic-
tions about the correctness and importance of their own ideas. Very few
had extraordinary parents. All had obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Most were born in Europe. Most had a parent who died early. However,
not all scientific geniuses follow these rules. For example, Einstein didn't
talk until he was three, and his humility is well known.
This book is organized into three parts. In the first part, I profile
several geniuses who have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Any discus-
sion of temperament and genius is best served by examining one life in
some depth, and none better illustrates the complex association than
inventor Nikola Tesla with whom we start. At the end of Part I we take a
break from the biographies of obsessive-compulsive geniuses to explore
the obsessive-compulsive disorder itself. Individuals afflicted with
obsessive-compulsive disorder are often compelled to commit repetitive
acts that are apparently meaningless, such as persistent hand washing,
counting, checking, and avoiding.
In the second part, I include a smorgasbord of short subjects ranging
from IQ to the influence of the brain's structure on behavior; however, this
book will not explain great scientists' behaviors in terms of brain anatomy.
This would be impossible. For one thing, most of the great brains were not
XI
Preface
preserved and studied. However, Einstein's brain has been preserved for
posterity, and, although he was not obsessive like the others in this book,
I'll spend Chapter 12 describing his extraordinary brain convolutions.
In the third part, I discuss how individuals were selected for this book,
summarize my thoughts on the association of genius and strangeness, and
briefly describe the effect of other disorders such as bipolar disorder and
temporal lobe epilepsy on creativity, religion, and even the alien abduction
experience.
We may safely assume that there is a biological root to many of the
unusual behaviors of great scientists. Recent theories suggest that obsessive-
compulsive disorder, for instance, results from imbalances in the brain's
chemistry. For example, afflicted individuals have brains that are depleted
of an important chemical called serotonin. Today, drugs such as Anafranil
are prescribed because they increase the amount of serotonin. Anafranil,
known to biochemists by its chemical name clomipramine hydrochloride,
is also helpful in treating obsessive-compulsive behavior in animals, espe-
cially in stopping dogs from licking their wounds so that the wounds can
heal. Prozac (fluoxitine hydrochloride) also affects serotonin levels and can
reduce obsessive-compulsive behavior as well as depression.
As I considered the lives of a number of especially creative scientists,
inventors, and philosophers, I was impressed by the number of individ-
uals who had curious deficiencies mixed with their more obvious talents.
Although this book is not intended to be an academic analysis, we can still
ponder the question: Can mental illness convey creative advantages to
great scientists? Most scientists do not exhibit bizarre behaviors, and most
people with mental disorders do not possess extraordinary creativity.
However, a significantly large number of established artists have mood
disorders such as bipolar disorder. (Bipolar disorder, also called manic
depression, is a genetic illness characterized by states of depression and
mania that may alternate cyclically. Bipolar disorder is closely related to
major depressive, or unipolar, illness; in fact, the same criteria are used for
the diagnosis of major depression as for the depressive phase of bipolar
disorder.) In fact, it appears that both major depression and bipolar dis-
order can sometimes enhance the creativity of some people. So while we
cannot say that the neurotic behavior of some great scientists causes their
greatness, it likely plays a role.
Great eccentrics have intrigued historians for centuries. For example,
Jeremy Bentham, the British philosopher who promoted the idea "the great-
est good for the greatest number of people," fell in love with rats. He also