Early American neurologic textbooks

Abstract

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.