William Alexander Hammond: The Centenary of His Death

Abstract

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.