It is a wicked disease that robs its victims of their memories, their ability to think clearly and ultimately their lives. For centuries, those afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease have suffered its debilitating effects while family members sit by, watching their loved ones disappear a little more each day until the person they used to know is gone forever. The disease was first described by German psychologist and neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. One hundred years and a great deal of scientific effort later, much more is known about Alzheimer’s, but it still affects millions around the world, and there is no cure in sight.
In The End of Memory, award-winning science author Jay Ingram writes a biography of this disease that attacks the brains of its (usually) senior patients. He charts the history of the disease from before it was noted by Alois Alzheimer right through to the 21st century, as researchers continue to fight to find a cure. In the spirit of Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies, this book is for those who want to find out the truth about an affliction that courses through families and, in some cases, inexplicably affects people early in their lives.
It is a wicked disease that robs its victims of their memories, their ability to think clearly and ultimately their lives. For centuries, those afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease have suffered its debilitating effects while family members sit by, watching their loved ones disappear a little more each day until the person they used to know is gone forever. The disease was first described by German psychologist and neurologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906. One hundred years and a great deal of scientific effort later, much more is known about Alzheimer’s, but it still affects millions around the world, and there is no cure in sight.
In The End of Memory, award-winning science author Jay Ingram writes a biography of this disease that attacks the brains of its (usually) senior patients. He charts the history of the disease from before it was noted by Alois Alzheimer right through to the 21st century, as researchers continue to fight to find a cure. In the spirit of Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies, this book is for those who want to find out the truth about an affliction that courses through families and, in some cases, inexplicably affects people early in their lives.