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techniques bave kept stride with drug research. Development of ara - A, a drug used to combat the deadly virus herpes encephalitis marks a medical milestone. Similarly, microsurgery is saving the lives of many potential victims of stroke, the most common brain injury. Using fine tools and a microscope, surgeons divert an artery from scalp to brain in hopes of increasing blood supply and preventing stroke. It has also boosted the success rate for operations to remove weaknesses in the walls of brain arteries.
The most radical form of neurosurgery, the brain transplant, has already been performed with surprising success on Rhesus monkeys. Less awesome than the total brain transplant is the grafting of selected areas of the brain. Researchers believe brain grafts might relieve Parkinson's disease and other human neurological disorders as well. F. Psycho-Neuro-Inmunology
The mind itself may play a role in curing disease. It is now well established that negative emotions can upset body chemistry and bring on disease. Positive emotions have the opposite effect. A recent new research discipline, psycho-neuro-immunology shows that systematic pursuit of salutary emotions and technique of auto-suggestion alleviates chronic pain and retard degenerative diseases.
As scientists penetrate the substance of the brain with grafts and transplants, pacemaker machines and drugs for controlling brain functions, a fundamental question arises : To what extent can we manipulate the brain — precious sustainer of life, physical basis of mind - before the very essence of life itself is transformed ?
The challenge of unfolding the brain's mysteries is a compelling one - can man discover the mechanism of thinking, and whether, by so doing, can be achieve new orders of understanding the dimensions of his own nature ?
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