Brain (novel)

Brain is a best-selling medical thriller written by Robin Cook, published by Putnam in 1981.^[1] It describes how a future generation of computers will work hard-wired to human brains.

Brain

First edition
Author	Robin Cook
Language	English
Genre	Thriller
Publisher	Putnam
Publication date	February 1981
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	320 pp
ISBN	0-451-15797-4
OCLC	25106913
Preceded by	Sphinx
Followed by	Fever

Cook based the main character, radiology resident Katherine Collins, on his wife Barbara Mougin, an actress-model.^[2]

Plot

The story starts with a girl Katherine Collins going to a private clinic for a pap smear, but these people anesthetize her and steal her brain for a secret military project. She is placed in a vat of liquid and her brain is connected to a computer. The same thing happens to other patients too.

The protagonist Dr. Martin Philips, a doctor in neuroradiology at the NYC medical center is involved in creating a self-diagnostic x-ray machine, along with William Michaels, who is a researcher graduating from MIT and also head of the department of artificial intelligence. Dr. Philips's girlfriend and colleague Dr. Denise Sanger (28 years old) is also involved in the same hospital. Philips and Sanger both find a secret conspiracy in the hospital to steal patients' brains without their consent. They uncover details and find that though they'd suspected Mannerheim, the prima donna neurosurgeon, the real villain is the soft-spoken AI researcher Michaels and his military backers. Dr. Philips blows the whistle and seeks political asylum in Sweden.

Reception

A review in Library Journal said that following the discovery of a missing brain, "The subsequent search, chase, and revelation provide undeniably irresistible and exciting reading."^[1]