Dr. egnor begins his book discussing split brain function. the two hemispheres of the brain are connected by a medial structure, the corpus callosum consisting of a “massive bundle of millions of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the brain. . . . epileptic seizures, which are random uncontrolled electrical discharges in the brain, can jump from one side of the brain to the other through the fiber bundle, causing catastrophic convulsions each day. . . . seizures can often be treated successfully with medications, but sometimes that’s not enough. radical surgery is a last resort,” the cutting of the corpus callosum in half, separating the two hemispheres entirely. but dr. egnor goes on to state that “the corpus callosum doesn’t seem to have an irreplaceable neurological function in the brain. . . . even when the brain is split in half, many important aspects of the mind remain unified. thus, the mind is something that the brain isn’t. . . . what is most remarkable about the split-brain evidence is the unity of the mind despite splitting of the brain. . . . split-brain patients have split perception but unified consciousness. . . . it splits what we perceive with our eyes but not what we understand and reason about.”
i encourage those who are interested in delving deeper into this topic to obtain and read this book and selected references. what has been emphasized so far is that there is evidence that the mind is not the brain. dr. egnor cites the neurosurgeon, dr. wilder penfield, in his initial chapter, and this topic will be the focus of my next blog.