William Gowers: the never completed third edition of the 'Bible of Neurology (original) (raw)
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James Ross (1837–1892) and his forgotten neurology textbook of 1881
Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 2010
Clinical neurology emerged as an area of specialised medical activity in the latter half of the nineteenth century. At that time several medium-sized, single-authored texts on nervous system disease were published, beginning with Moritz Romberg's A Manual of the Nervous Diseases of Man in 1840 and 1851, translated into English by Edward Sieveking in 1853. 1 This was followed by the works of Moritz Rosenthal in 1870 (with an English translation by Leopold Putzel in 1879 2) and those of William Hammond in 1871 3 and Samuel Wilks in 1878. 4 There were also multiple-authored accounts of nervous system disease in contemporary medical encyclopaedias such as those in Russell Reynolds' System of Medicine 5 and Hugo von Ziemssen's Cyclopaedia of the Practice of Medicine (English translation 1877). 6 An English-language translation of Jean-Martin Charcot's lectures appeared in three volumes in 1877, 1881 and 1889 respectively. 7 In addition, two large, single-authored, major comprehensive accounts of disease of the nervous system were published in the 1880s, each in two substantial volumes. The first of these accounts, written by James Ross of Manchester, appeared in 1881, with a second edition two years later; the two volumes of the other, written by William Gowers of London, were published in 1886 and 1888 respectively, with second editions in 1892 and 1893 and a third edition of volume one in 1899. The two volumes of Gowers' A Manual of Diseases of the Nervous System 8 have been widely regarded as the 'Bible of neurology', and their author accepted as one of the greatest figures in the history of neurological knowledge. By contrast, Ross and his A Treatise on the Diseases of the Nervous System 9 are now almost forgotten. This paper aims to establish the reasons for this. James ross's career Several accounts of James Ross's life are available. 10-14 He was born at Kingussie, Inverness-shire, on 11 January 1837, the third son of John Ross, farmer, and his wife Christina, née MacPherson. He was educated at the Laggan Parish School, a few miles from his home, and then at the Normal College for Teachers, Edinburgh, but, realising that he was not temperamentally suited to school teaching, he turned to the study of medicine, graduating MB, CM from Aberdeen in 1863, and becoming MD in 1865. Following his graduation Ross went on two voyages to Greenland in whaling ships before entering general practice at Knottingley, Yorkshire, where he worked from 1863 to 1865. He then spent a short time at Burnley, before settling at Waterfoot in Rossendale, Lancashire, where he remained until 1876. During his time in general practice Ross carried out animal experiments, recording that he had studied the microscopic appearance of the mesentery after inducing inflammation by injecting a few drops of ammonia into a frog's leg. 15 Ross transferred his medical activities to Manchester in 1876 to work as a pathologist to the Manchester Royal Infirmary. In that year he took the MRCP (London), becoming FRCP in 1882. His alma mater subsequently conferred on him its LL.D in 1883. In October 1878 Ross was appointed assistant James Ross (1837-1892) and his forgotten neurology textbook of 1881 aBstract James Ross (1837-1892) was an Aberdeen medical graduate who, after 13 years in rural general practice, mainly in Lancashire, became a pathologist and then physician to the Manchester Royal Infirmary and professor of medicine at Owens College, Manchester. In mid-career he developed a major interest in clinical neurology and became, apart from Byrom Bramwell in Edinburgh, the only contemporary British physician outside London who had widely recognised neurological expertise. Ross made several notable original contributions to neurological knowledge, particularly in relation to aphasia and peripheral neuritis. He wrote the entire contents of the two editions of the massive two-volume A Treatise on the Diseases of the Nervous System (1881 and 1883), which was very favourably reviewed and commercially successful but which, like its author who died at the height of his powers, was soon forgotten once William Gowers' A Manual of Diseases of the Nervous System became available in the late 1880s.
2019
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Sir William Gowers: a life in neurology
Brain, 2012
The lives and achievements of successful London physicians in the 19th century now seem distant and yet somehow more significant than those of later generations. This period, especially that between 1870 and 1910, was a time of discovery and of new concepts in understanding the nervous system and its diseases, seemingly made by a relatively small group of physician/scientists whose reputations have endured. We see these innovators as giants of their time, and imagine them as immensely knowledgeable of clinical problems, all busy men (none were women) deeply involved with their patients and with their writing and teaching. Their time is now so remote that we have difficulty imagining the daily work experience, the conversations with colleagues, the consultations and all the little things that make up everyday life. These are bearded frock-coated sages. We have little idea even of the system of medicine they practised. How did they talk to their patients? Did they have a codified clinical examination technique? Did their patients know how inefficacious were their treatments, or were they actually more effective than we now credit? What sort of men were they?
Early American neurologic textbooks
Neurology, 1995
Although European treatises were translated and available to American doctors interested in neurology during the 19th century, the early American neurologic textbooks were distinctive in their comprehensive integration of basic and clinical science. William A. Hammond, in 1871, published the first comprehensive American textbook of neurology, preceding the manuals by Gowers (1886) and Oppenheim (1894) by more than a decade. Four other American adult neurologic textbooks expanded on Hammond's model and incorporated other important topics, including neurologic anatomy, the formal examination, neurochemistry, and complete bibliographies. Bernard Sachs' 1895 textbook was the first pediatric neurologic textbook published in America and made significant contributions to the organization of childhood neurologic disorders. These works functioned as centralized resources for neurologic information, were influential educational tools, and helped foster a growing appreciation of the American neurologic school both nationally and internationally.
Neurology - Historical, Recent and Future Aspects
Acta Clinica Croatica, 2003
Acta Clin Croat, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2003 3 NEUROLOGY HISTORICAL, RECENT AND FUTURE ASPECTS Franz Gerstenbrand, Bettina Matulla and Heinrich Binder Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Restorative Neurology, Otto Wagner Hospital, Vienna, Austria Introduction Panta rhei everything flows, Heraklids profound insight, is considered the fundamental principle of research in the natural sciences. Each research initiative should be based on future orientation as well as on the knowledge of continually developing progress. The term progress, often used in modern-day industrial society and often misused, is also an essential motivating economic force. The incidence of neurologic disorders can be traced back thousands of years. Using modern methods of molecular biology and of imaging, somatic and neurologic disorders of early man can now be studied. Thus, paleoneurology has recently emerged as a new field in which neurologists and archeologists collaborate extensively. As neurologic diseases ...
Abstracts of the 9 th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology
Preventive, screening system for early detection of demencia, 2023
This abstract volume has been produced using author-supplied copy. Editing has been restricted to some corrections of spelling and style where appropriate. No responsibility is assumed for any claims, instructions, methods or drug dosages contained in the abstracts: it is recommended that these are verified independently.