The legacy of Prof. Hess

"No man has known & will never know the certain truth about the gods & all the things of which I speak. Even if one succeeds in proclaiming the most perfect truth, he can never know it. Everything is interwoven with conjecture.“ - Xenophanes of Colophon, Greek philosopher, c. 570 - c. 478 BC

??Walter Rudolf Hess (1881-1973) - Life & work - On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the award of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for his discovery of the functional organization of the diencephalon as a coordination of the activities of the internal organs“ (Prize shared with Antonio Caetano de Abreu Freire Egas Moniz “for his discovery of the therapeutic value of leukotomy in certain psychoses“) - University of Zurich, 2019

??A fascinating journey in time. Hemodynamics, ophthalmology, stereoscopic photographs, sleep research, #neuroscience, #consciousness & neurophilosophical thoughts.

??Since 1933 he was recommended or nominated to the Nobel Prize Committee 31 times by colleagues from Germany & abroad!

??The origins of clinically applied #Deepbrainstimulation can be found in the cat experiments of Hess & represent an early paradigm of #translationalresearch in neuroscience. He applied stimulation to or caused the destruction of very small areas & thus he has been able to study the effect of the stimulus, as well as of the disappearance of a function. In his own words:

“Since required accuracy can never be achieved on the basis of electrode placements alone, microscopic control of serial histologic sections of each experimental brain is necessary. Three atlases composed of photomicrographic reproduction of serial sections cut perpendicularly to each other gave invaluable assistance in the topographical analysis of stimulation sites. In addition, these atlases served to register in each? individual case the histological finding as well as to prepare cumulative map files of all points stimulated during the many years of investigative work. Cross-references among these three standard atlases allowed localization of each site of stimulation in all three planes, thereby providing three-dimensional registration, which in many cases was indispensable to demonstrate the relation between topographical & functional organization.“

??Hess did not believe in the existence of anatomically circumscribed nuclear “centres” in the brain. For Hess the “centres” were, rather, relatively diffuse & sometimes interpenetrating functional networks.

??He persistently endeavored to bring brain research & clinical neurological work together in one place. To demonstrate nature’s effort of optimizing functional performance in the economic context was one of the characteristics in Hess’s thinking.

??In 1959, he assisted M.G. Yasargil at a stereotactic procedure to define the hypothalamic areas in a patient & assisted in the stereotactic application of bilateral hypothalamic microlesions.

??He was convinced of the close correlation of behavioral research & neurophysiology & believed that neuronal patterns determine the content of consciousness without providing clues concerning the transformation of such patterns into subjective experience.

??Of great interest:

??Section 5 (from neuroscience to neurophilosophy):

????“We are facing something incomprehensible, the reality of which we cannot deny & which is part of the innermost events of life. But it is precisely this incomprehension which may produce a creative force in us, possibly only a longing, leading beyond that which can strictly be experienced. The creative force often lies in the direction of philosophy, art & religion.“

????“The crossing point of objective understanding & subjective experience is our consciousness.“

????“We find ourselves in the same position as Plato with his parable of the cave: we do not discern the "True Being" but only its image in its shadow.“

????“We are children of an ideality which we will never attain & perhaps in this lies our happiness.“

????“Even pure natural science is not pure natural science, but also contains spiritually explainable or to a certain degree recognizable elements of a metaphysical character transcending our real perception.“

????“I am strictly opposed to the conception of the brain as an "electronic instrument"; the living brain encompasses, with its capability for subjective experience, a particular dimension.“

????“Under the influence of brain stimulation, experiences stored in the memory are actively integrated with instant perceptions & released as behavioral responses.“

????“The community has its roots within certain bounds at least in the physiological sphere.“

????“Collective order is not ruled by a single principle, but by organic interweaving of various principles which are also involved in a conflict in which the priorities change according to the concrete situation.“

????“Abstraction with subsequent concretization, i.e., analysis followed by synthesis are operations which make a theory of biological order consistent & suitable for application to human collective life.“

????“Truth: the acknowledgment of a stratified unity.“

????“Everything is arranged in such a way that, by fulfilling our vital program, we unawares rise into the spheres of the superpersonal. In the process of maturation, in reaching out quite naturally to ever wider spheres of community, to ever higher realms of the living, the veritable unio mystica is attained.“ (Constantin von Monakow)

??Section 6 (the legacy of the brain researcher Walter Rudolf Hess):

????“Equally important & irrelevant research results are scattered throughout the world literature & often discussed inadequately.“

????“Even such mammoth conferences can only hold neuroscience together as a fairground of confusion.“ (Hagner & Borck)

????“It seems as if the proponents of 'big neuroscience' are under the illusion that they can steer towards an all-encompassing, perfect picture of a brave new neuroworld, in which the impression is created that this approach is intended to cram all aspects of the human brain into the corset of molecules, genes, stem cells, transmitters, synapses, impulses & neuronal circuits.“

????“So first anatomy & then physiology, but if physiology first, then not without anatomy.“ (B. Von Gudden)

????“…function is irrelevant because it is context-dependent & epiphenomenal relative to brain structure.“ (L. Puelles)

????“More than in any other field of medicine, self-criticism & modesty are in demand as outstanding personality traits of the clinical neuroscientist.“

????“The aim & criterion for all scientific work & therefore also for brain research, is first & foremost the search for truth.“

??Some quotes of Prof. Hess:

“I saw how the seemingly stationary processes in so-called static systems were in reality a system of antagonistic forces resulting in a dynamic equilibrium.“

“I had to undergo a rather painful experience because of the? authoritarian attitude then prevalent toward youthful scientists.“

“One could hear the differences of opinion being argued more critically in the corridors than in the demonstration hall in the presence of the speakers themselves.“

“Living matter can only exist in the form of organization oriented toward success.“

“Every living organism is not the sum of a multitude of unitary processes, but is, by virtue of interrelationships & of higher & lower levels of control, an unbroken unity.“

“I do not stand as a person but as a representative of a certain way of working.“

“Valuable support was provided at all stages by the understanding helpfulness of good coworkers.“

“All my publications were written in German, the accepted written language of central & eastern Switzerland, proved to be for many years an almost insurmountable barrier in reestablishing a close scientific contact with the Anglo-Saxon countries.“

??You can download the material (200 pages) here:

?? https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/183083/1/Hess_Broschure_final.pdf (original file)

?? https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hxapaxxnigjd50as1kgku/Hess_Broschure_final.pdf?rlkey=uddhzzs5q08vnarv5az4xy557&st=9e58rf3k&dl=0 (edited version, highlighted text)

??The interconnection between neuroscience & philosophy encapsulates a profound symbiosis, where each discipline enriches & refines the other in an endless pursuit of understanding the nature of consciousness & reality.

??Neuroscience, with its meticulous exploration of the brain's intricate mechanisms, unravels the biological underpinnings of our thoughts, emotions, & perceptions, offering empirical insights into the enigma of the mind.

??Concurrently, philosophy engages in the abstract contemplation of these phenomena, probing the depths of metaphysical questions surrounding consciousness, free will, and the nature of being.

??Together, they form a dynamic discourse, bridging the empirical & the speculative, converging towards a holistic comprehension of the human experience & its place within the universe. In this symbiotic relationship, neuroscience lends empirical grounding to philosophical inquiry, while philosophy provides conceptual frameworks to contextualize & interpret the empirical findings of neuroscience, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of the intricacies of existence.

#DBS #neurotech #medtech #SCS #spinalcordstimulation #TDD #IDDS #intrathecal #RF #RFA #PNS #Rückenmarkstimulation #schmerzschrittmacher #νευροτροποπο?ηση #δι?γερσηνωτια?ουμυελο? #N?romodülasyon #kronika?r? #spinalkordstimülasyonu #omurilikpili #стимуляцияспинногомозга #脊髓刺激 #鞘内治疗

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