Ideas we associate with the 18th century are clearly seen in work published from the latter decades of the 17th century through the first decades of the 19th century. This is the "long 18th century", a period which exhibits multiple discourses in medicine, brain science and philosophy. The editors have deliberately adopted a "presentist" subtitle, "neuroscience", to emphasize that this collection of essays reflect a range of current thought about 18th century-studies of the nervous system i ...