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The End of Memory: A Natural History of Aging and Alzheimer's
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The End of Memory: A Natural History of Aging and Alzheimer's

by Jay Ingram
  • health
  • science

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.

Contributors

Jay Ingram, author

Jay Ingram was the host of Discovery Channel "Canada’s Daily Planet" for sixteen years, and before that hosted CBC Radio’s national science show "Quirks & Quarks". He has written fifteen books, including the many runaway bestsellers, three of which have won Canadian Science Writers' Awards. They have been translated into 14 languages. He has never been attacked by a shark.

Reviews

  • In this riveting tale of Alzheimer’s disease, Canadian science writer Ingram elegantly traces the history of the persistent and devastating ailment and the many medical researchers who have contributed to the public’s understanding of it… Ingram’s first-rate medical writing makes this excellent history a must-read. (starred) - Publishers Weekly Link to review
  • With his laidback prose replete with clever analogies and clarifying rhetorical questions, Ingram guides us efficiently through the scientific research… - National Post Link to review

Awards

  • Shortlisted, Canadian Science Writers’ Association’s Science in Society General Book Award

Rights Holder

Rights Holder: Westwood Creative Artists

email: meg@wcaltd.com

website: http://www.wcaltd.com/

rights sold: Canada (HarperCollins), China (simplified: Shanghai Guo Yue Cultural and Creative Co. Ltd.), China (complex: Commonwealth Magazine Co. Ltd.), Japan (Kokusho Kankokai), Portugal (Club do Autor), Turkey (Tubitak), UK & Commonwealth (excl. Canada and US: Rider, Penguin Random House), US (Thomas Dunne, St. Martin's Press; large print: Thorndike)

rights available: World

Additional Information

number of pages: 304

publication date: 12/30/2014

Original language of pub: English

Materials Available: finished book