The Pleasure Shock

Praise for The Pleasure Shock [A] wide-ranging, thoughtful exploration...Frank has written an excellent, balanced portrait of an inventive psychiatrist with a complicated legacy. -Publishers Weekly (starred review) A thoughtful, always interesting look into the workings of the mind-and the sometimes-surprising implications of how those workings have been revealed. -Kirkus Reviews Frank has traced and interviewed surviving patients, former collaborators, family members and current DBS scientists. The result is a rarity: a thrilling, well-researched read. -Nature Compelling... engaging... an accessible and entertaining description of this relatively unknown chapter in the history of DBS. -The Lancet Nuanced and thoughtful. -The Washington Free Beacon A beautifully written, nuanced compendium that unfurls like an engrossing mystery, filled with colorful characters, gripping drama and mind-blowing scientific history in the making, definitely one of the most mesmerizing nonfiction books with New Orleans roots ever. -New Orleans Living The Pleasure Shock is a page-turner full of fascinating characters, high-stakes drama, and profound ethical dilemmas. Lone Frank-a trained neuroscientist and gifted storyteller-illuminates the dark roots of a modern-day medical marvel, and her book should be required reading for anyone interested in our ongoing efforts to tame the human mind by tinkering with the human brain. -Luke Dittrich, award-winning author of Patient H.M. Scientists who are ahead of their time are often odd characters. Robert Heath is a dramatic example. Lone Frank brings his history and dramatic personality to life. She tells the untold story of his work on deep brain stimulation as a treatment for mental disorders. Was it pioneering or premature? Her nuanced portrait reveals Heath as a scientist-clinician who is neither monster nor hero, but passionate and persistent. I am astounded that I never knew this story despite decades in psychiatry. Others will be as fascinated as I am. -Dr. Randolph Nesse, author of Why We Get Sick The Pleasure Shock is an illuminating expose on yet another dark, misunderstood time in our medical past. I could not put this book down. -Paul Ruggieri MD, author of Confessions of a Surgeon The Pleasure Shock is not only a fascinating biography of brain-implant pioneer Robert Heath. It also explores a profound and disturbing question: Can we, and should we, use technology to eradicate suffering and evil? -John Horgan, Director, Center for Science Writings, Stevens Institute of Technology, and author of The End of Science