Introduction:
The Enchanted Loom
very cell of the human body is ruled by
the brain. Its commanding presence orders
sensation， movement， thought， a lifetime
of memory and dream. What makes this so is the
central nervous system， a maze of nerve fibers
linking all areas of the body to cells in the fabric
of the brain. Within that \"enchanted loom，\" ro-
manticized physiologist Sir Charles Sherrington，
\"millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving
pattern， always a meaningful pattern， though
never an abiding one.\"
Object of mystery and superstition through
most of history， mankind s brain has revealed it-
self only in recent centuries. Ancient Greeks rea-
soned that thought was \"the soul s walk abroad.\"
Thinking about the brain， seeking ways to un-
ravel its infinite mysteries， inspired the minds of
great men--St. Augustine， Leonardo da Vinci，
Descartes， Freud.
Anthropologist Loren Eiseley noted that both
gorilla and human have \"appealingly similar\"
brains at birth. But the human s triples in size the
first year， growing \"unlike anything else we
know in the animal world.\" Problem solving，
language， creating works of art--all bear wit-
ness to humankind s unique birthright.
Seeds of thought lie in furrows of dark tissue
that cover the brain like a layer of fertile topsoil.
From here stem conscious acts， speaking one s
mind -- and changing it. Within the brain s lobes
echo sounds， awakening imaginations. Impulses
of sight， rocketing through these spaces， stir
memories. Deeper in the brain s core are rooted
the origins of feelings， our pleasures and sorrows.
Among the emotions twine tendrils of smell，
sensing nostalgia s past.
We may see， through the eyes of science， ever
more of the enchanted loom. To unveil what is
known about the brain -- and what is not -- is to
stretch the limits of imagination. Future discov-
eries will propel man to new thresholds of awe.
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