A Note on Marinus of Alexandria

Abstract

Neurology in its modern sense was first studied in the well‐known neurological institutions of France and England. In America, however, this new field of medicine was developed by a physician in a private practice, Dr. William Alexander Hammond. This article addresses the question how Hammond was able to limit his practice to neurology. It is argued that Hammond was a famous military physician before becoming the first practitioner of clinical neurology in America. This fame translated into a large referral base.     

William Alexander Hammond: The Centenary of His Death

In the United States, the field of clinical neurology began within the medical practice of a single physician, William Alexander Hammond. In the 1870s, this New York medical practitioner became the first American physician who limited his practice to patients who suffered from symptoms potentially due to dysfunction of the nervous system. From the experience of his huge practice, Hammond wrote the first American textbook of neurology. With Silas Weir Mitchell, he founded the American Neurological Association. The year 2000 marked the 100th anniversary of Hammond's death and stimulates this brief survey of his life.     

The James Ramsay Hunt Case Books

James Ramsay Hunt (1874–1937) was one of the pioneers of early-twentieth-century American neurology. The James Ramsay Hunt Case Books, Columbia University, were created by Hunt and chronicle his experience with private patients from 1903 until 1937. This resource is not widely known to scholars and the content of these 30 volumes has not been described in detail. The purpose of this report is to describe this resource in terms of its organization, general contents and special features. The books contain the clinical records of 5,019 consecutive patients. The largest proportion had neurasthenia or psychiatric diagnoses, followed by those with neuropathies, manifestations of neurosyphilis, migraine and epilepsy. The books, through the enclosed correspondence, photographs, and poetry sent by patients, reveal a close relationship between the patients and their physician. Hunt's drawings are a special feature of the early volumes, including his original unpublished drawing of the lesions associated with his herpetic geniculate ganglion syndrome. The Case Books, by providing an indexed and permanent record of cases, would have made it easier for Hunt to cross-reference patients with similar clinical characteristics when he was in the process of describing a new syndrome. These Case Books provide a valuable perspective of the practice of neurology in early-twentieth-century America.     

The James Ramsay Hunt case books

James Ramsay Hunt (1874-1937) was one of the pioneers of early-twentieth-century American neurology. The James Ramsay Hunt Case Books, Columbia University, were created by Hunt and chronicle his experience with private patients from 1903 until 1937. This resource is not widely known to scholars and the content of these 30 volumes has not been described in detail. The purpose of this report is to describe this resource in terms of its organization, general contents and special features. The books contain the clinical records of 5,019 consecutive patients. The largest proportion had neurasthenia or psychiatric diagnoses, followed by those with neuropathies, manifestations of neurosyphilis, migraine and epilepsy. The books, through the enclosed correspondence, photographs, and poetry sent by patients, reveal a close relationship between the patients and their physician. Hunt's drawings are a special feature of the early volumes, including his original unpublished drawing of the lesions associated with his herpetic geniculate ganglion syndrome. The Case Books, by providing an indexed and permanent record of cases, would have made it easier for Hunt to cross-reference patients with similar clinical characteristics when he was in the process of describing a new syndrome. These Case Books provide a valuable perspective of the practice of neurology in early-twentieth-century America.     

The history of the neurological examination. Part 1: ancient and pre-modern history--3000 BC to AD 1850

Every time a physician conducts a neurological examination the process continues a biomedical search for understanding the nervous system which is as ancient as the earliest civilizations in human history. Most of the modern neurological examination evolved in a short time span, between 1850 and 1914, but the origins of neurology as a medical quest for knowledge date to the first evolution of urban life, in the valleys of the Euphrates and the Nile. This paper reviews this history in two chronological segments: part 1 up to 1850 and part 2 the subsequent period.     

Domus Willisi: a neuro-architectural tour

Fifteen sites in England today can be identified with Dr. Thomas Willis, the Oxford physician and anatomist, who was the founder of neurology. Four of these were domiciles; Beam Hall, where Willis and his colleagues met to study the brain and nerves, can be claimed as the first Neurological Institute. The last dwelling place of Willis is Westminster Abbey, where in 1961 his memorial stone was renewed by neurologists and neurosurgeons. Part of this original stone marks the new Brain Imaging Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute, where the name of Thomas Willis shares a place in the Hall of Neurological Fame.     

Founding years of clinical neurology in Berlin until 1933

During the so-called "Gründerjhare" or "founding years" in Berlin it became necessary to build new hospitals because of the rapid growth of population. As a result, several infirmaries, asylums for the insane and institutions for epileptics were build between 1877 and 1912. The new building of the University of Neuropsychiatric Clinic ("Nervenklinik") of the Charité was opened in 1905 according to plans made by Friedrich Jolly (1844-1904), the physician who named myasthenia gravis pseudoparalytica. A "Neurological Central Station", under the direction of Oskar and Cecil Vogt, in existence since 1898, was a research center dedicated more to morphology. There the study of the structure of the cerebral cortex by Korbinian Brodmann (1868-1925) and research into basal ganglia diseases by the Vogts began. The Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Cerebral Research, which moved into a new building in 1931, also had its origin here. Hermann Oppenheim (1858-1919) promoted independent clinical neurology, as did his younger contemporary, Max Lewandowsky (1876-1918), who was already advising physician for neurology at the Berlin-Friedrichshain Hospital. Hug Liepmann (1863-1925), the creator of apraxia theory, worked at the asylums for the insane in Dalldorf (Berlin-Wittenau) and Berlin-Herzberge. In 1911, the first neurological unit was established in the large hospital in Berlin-Buch under the direction of Otto Maas. Not until after World War I were further neurological hospital units founded, under the direction of Paul Schuster (1867-1940), Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965), Kurt L?wenstein (died in 1953) and Friedrich Heinrich Lewy (1885-1950). These Jewish physicians, as well as C.E. Benda and Otto Maas, had to leave their posts in 1933 and emigrate. The clinical institutions and scientific achievements of these pioneers of independent clinical neurology will be presented up to the point of its violent dissolution.     

'On mind-blindness (optic agnosia)', a classical clinico-pathological report, and its author Wilhelm von Stauffenberg (1879-1918)

Two photographs from the beginning of our century still instructively illustrate the phenomenon of visual agnosia: the perplexed face of an old lady confronted with objects clears after touching them. This patient with bilateral posterior cerebral infarction was followed for seven years at the Munich Medicine Department of Friedrich von Müller (1858-1941) who had a strong interest in neurology. His assistant Wilhelm von Stauffenberg (1879-1918) reported the case in great detail, including anatomical analysis performed under Constantin von Monakow (1853-1930). Promoted to "Privatdozent" in 1913 on the basis of this report, Stauffenberg's work included several additional, similarly extensive clinico-anatomical case studies but was not limited to problems of cerebral localisation. Under the influence of the Burgh?lzli group in Zürich he started to practice psychotherapy. Stauffenberg, deeply interested also in the arts and in literature, was the physician of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) from 1914. He succumbed to pneumonia in 1918.     

Founding Years of Clinical Neurology in Berlin Until 1933

During the so-called “Gründerjahre” or “founding years” in Berlin it became necessary to build new hospitals because of the rapid growth of population. As a result, several infirmaries, asylums for the insane and institutions for epileptics were built between 1877 and 1912. The new building of the University Neuropsychiatric Clinic (“Nervenklinik”) of the Charité was opened in 1905 according to plans made by Friedrich Jolly (1844–1904), the physician who named myasthenia gravis pseudoparalytica. A “Neurological Central Station”, under the direction of Oskar and Cecil Vogt, in existence since 1898, was a research center dedicated more to morphology. There the study of the structure of the cerebral cortex by Korbinian Brodmann (1868–1925) and research into basal ganglia diseases by the Vogts began. The Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Cerebral Research, which moved into a new building in 1931, also had its origin here. Hermann Oppenheim (1858–1919) promoted independent clinical neurology, as did his younger contemporary, Max Lewandowsky (1876–1918), who was already advising physician for neurology at the Berlin-Friedrichshain Hospital. Hugo Liepmann (1863–1925), the creator of apraxia theory, worked at the asylums for the insane in Dalldorf (Berlin-Wittenau) and Berlin-Herzberge. In 1911, the first neurological unit was established in the large hospital in Berlin-Buch under the direction of Otto Maas. Not until after World War I were further neurological hospital units founded, under the direction of Paul Schuster (1867–1940), Kurt Goldstein (1878–1965), Kurt Löwenstein (died in 1953) and Friedrich Heinrich Lewy (1885–1950). These Jewish physicians, as well as C.E. Benda and Otto Maas, had to leave their posts in 1933 and emigrate. The clinical institutions and scientific achievements of these pioneers of independent clinical neurology will be presented up to the point of its violent dissolution.     

Domus Willisi: A Neuro‐Architectural Tour*

Abstract

Fifteen sites in England today can be identified with Dr. Thomas Willis, the Oxford physician and anatomist, who was the founder of neurology. Four of these were domiciles; Beam Hall, where Willis and his colleagues met to study the brain and nerves, can be claimed as the first Neurological Institute. The last dwelling place of Willis is Westminster Abbey, where in 1961 his memorial stone was renewed by neurologists and neurosurgeons. Part of this original stone marks the new Brain Imaging Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute, where the name of Thomas Willis shares a place in the Hall of Neurological Fame.     

‘On mind‐blindness (optic agnosia)’, a classical clinico‐pathological report,and its author Wilhelm von Stauffenberg (1879–1918)*

Abstract

Two photographs from the beginning of our century still instructively illustrate the phenomenon of visual agnosia: the perplexed face of an old lady confronted with objects clears after touching them. This patient with bilateral posterior cerebral infarction was followed for seven years at the Munich Medicine Department of Friedrich von Müller (1858–1941) who had a strong interest in neurology. His assistant Wilhelm von Stauffenberg (1879–1918) reported the case in great detail, including anatomical analysis performed under Constantin von Monakow (1853–1930). Promoted to “Privatdozent”; in 1913 on the basis of this report, Stauffenberg's work included several additional, similarly extensive clinico‐anatomical case studies but was not limited to problems of cerebral localisation. Under the influence of the Burghölzli group in Zürich he started to practice psychotherapy. Stauffenberg, deeply interested also in the arts and in literature, was the physician of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) from 1914. He succumbed to pneumonia in 1918.     

Anthropological neurology: symptoms and their meanings according to Joseph Prick (1909-1978)

This article describes the life and work of the Dutch neurologist Joseph Prick (1909-1978) and his idea of an anthropological neurology. According to Prick, neurological symptoms should not only be explained from an underlying physico-chemical substrate but also be regarded as meaningful. We present an outline of the historical and philosophical context of his ideas with a focus on the theory of the human body by the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) and the concept of anthropology-based medicine developed by Frederik Buytendijk (1887-1974). We give an overview of anthropological neurology as a clinical practice and finally we discuss the value of Prick's approach for clinical neurology today.     

Anthropological Neurology: Symptoms and Their Meanings According to Joseph Prick (1909–1978)

This article describes the life and work of the Dutch neurologist Joseph Prick (1909–1978) and his idea of an anthropological neurology. According to Prick, neurological symptoms should not only be explained from an underlying physico-chemical substrate but also be regarded as meaningful. We present an outline of the historical and philosophical context of his ideas with a focus on the theory of the human body by the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908–1961) and the concept of anthropology-based medicine developed by Frederik Buytendijk (1887–1974). We give an overview of anthropological neurology as a clinical practice and finally we discuss the value of Prick's approach for clinical neurology today.     

William Rutherford Sanders (1828–1881) and his neurologically fertile years (1865–1868)

ABSTRACT

William Rutherford Sanders (1828–1881) was an Edinburgh physician who occupied the Chair of Pathology at the University of Edinburgh from 1869 to 1881. All of his published output between 1865 and 1868 was concerned with neurology. In arguing that a patient did not have paralysis agitans, Sanders (1865) employed the term “Parkinson’s disease” for the first time in the English-language literature to distinguish between the disorder that Parkinson (1817) termed “paralysis agitans” and other types of shaking palsies. He contributed a major chapter on the same topic to Russell Reynolds’s A System of Medicine (1868). Sanders also investigated the innervation of the palate and facial muscles (1865), and in 1866 recorded the autopsy findings in two cases of aphasia. Here, for the first time in the English-language literature, he described findings that supported Broca’s location of the representation of speech to a particular area of the left cerebral hemisphere.     

William A. Hammond, the dynamograph, and bogus neurologic testimony in old New York

April 25, 1870, court of General Sessions, New York City, Doctor William A. Hammond, neurologist and former Surgeon General of the United States Army, testified at the trial of his patient Daniel McFarland. McFarland had fatally wounded famous journalist Albert Richardson in November of 1869. Dr. Hammond said McFarland suffered from temporary insanity due to cerebral congestion from over use of the brain. Hammond told the jury he had, "devoted the last five years of his professional life exclusively to the study of the mind", and opined that the evidence of cerebral congestion was profound: McFarland's head was hot, and his carotid throbbed. The proof came from the test with the dynamograph machine: McFarland could not keep a pencil still to trace a straight line in the center of a moving piece of paper. The dynamograph, Dr. Hammond assured the jury, measured the power of a man over his will and thus provided "full and decided evidence" there can be no doubt that McFarland "could not control his will". What were the motivations behind the testimony of this famous expert witness? Did bogus neurologic testimony exist in old New York over a century before our time?     

European influence on Russian neurology in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

In this study we consider the development of clinical neurology in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries focusing on European influence on Russian medicine. Russian physicians readily accepted newly described clinical signs, theories, and classification of nervous diseases designed in Europe. This influence initiated neurology's separation from general medicine and its transformation into a new clinical discipline. In Russia this happened already in the 1860s, decades before the similar trend in Europe. The Russian example is nearly unknown in the general history of neurology. It illustrates the relationships between physiology and practical neurology at the moment of establishment of the new discipline. It also shows that the Russian physicians of the time readily accepted European medical knowledge putting it immediately into medical practice and education.