One step away from madness

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A Part of Madness by Sara Manning Peskin... The human brain is the most complex machine in human history, but it also has an Achilles' heel: the molecules that give us life can also wreak havoc on our minds. This book contains astonishing stories of runaway molecules and the diseases that have sprung up in their wake. A college student can't remember whether she ate breakfast, and by dinner, she's strapped to a hospital bed, convinced she's fighting a zombie apocalypse. A man's impending marriage proposal plunges him into violent fits of rage, and he has convulsions so severe he nearly bites off his tongue. Poor farmers in South Carolina are falling one by one to a mysterious epidemic of dementia. With a captivating blend of history and suspense, Peskin invites readers to take on the role of medical detective, tracing each diagnosis from the patient to their ailing nervous system. From time to time, the book offers fascinating anecdotes about scientists who were sometimes eccentric, sometimes the subject of criticism and ridicule, but who remained dedicated to their work until the very end. It never overlooks the human impact of the disease; Alzheimer's, for example, is not simply the gradual loss of a loved one, but can become a curse passed down through generations of families. The proteins in every cell of our bodies are not merely threads of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon; they are the building blocks of our personalities and relationships. "One Molecule Away from Insanity" is an unforgettable journey into the deepest mysteries of our brains.