Modern Discoveries in Neuroscience... And What They Reveal About You (Collection)

5. Neural development

I first became aware of Viktor Hamburger at the seminar series that Max Cowan held every Saturday morning. Most of the hard-core neuroscientists at Washington University from both the medical school and the undergraduate campus made a point of attending these sessions, and Hamburger (Figure 5.1) was a regular. Initially, he was simply the old guy from the Biology Department who usually sat toward the back of the room. (He was then 73.) When he asked a question or made a comment in precise but heavily accented English, however, it was always authoritative and smart. Eventually, I asked around about him. After I figured out that he was a major figure in the field of neural development and not the neuroanatomist I had confused ...