Fin‐de‐Siècle Advances in Neuroeducation: Henry Herbert Donaldson and Reuben Post Halleck

Abstract

ABSTRACTABSTRACT—This article focuses on two early attempts at bridging neuroscience and education, made by Henry Herbert Donaldson (1857–1938), a neurologist, and Reuben Post Halleck (1859–1936), an educator. Their works, respectively entitled The Growth of the Brain: A Study of the Nervous System in Relation to Education (1895) and The Education of the Central Nervous System: A Study of Foundations, Especially of Sensory and Motor Training (1896), witness early attempts at opening up paths for the application of neurobiological findings to education. We provide an exposé of select points from their monographs; published only 1 year apart, both texts constitute significant testimonies of that Zeitgeist. They shed light on contemporary discussions about gender, neuroplasticity, critical periods, nature and nurture, and sleep/awake rhythms and provide a much needed perspective on the difficulties of founding the new inter‐ and transdisciplinary field of neuroeducation.