The Cradle of American Neurology - The Harvard Neurological Unit at the Boston City Hospital

The History of the Neurological Unit, with emphasis on the careers of two leaders of American neurology, Dr. Derek E. Denny-Brown and Dr. Norman Geschwind, in the mid-20th century.

 

Chapters written by Caplan, Dawson, Dinsdale, Foley, Galaburda, Gilman and Vilensky, Heilmann, Hogan, Kemper, Locke, Mayer, Mesulam, Sabin, and HR and K Tyler, with 76 photographs.

 

 

Dr. David M. Dawson is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1956 and served as a Medical House Officer and Resident in Medicine at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.  He trained in neurology under Dr. Derek Denny-Brown from 1960-1963, in neurochemistry under Dr. Nathan Kaplan at Brandeis University, and was on the staff of the Boston City Hospital from 1965 until 1967.

He returned to the Brigham in 1967 and has been on the staff of that hospital since that time.  His clinical interests have included peripheral neuropathy and multiple sclerosis.  For 20 years, he was the coordinator of the neurology residency program at the Brigham and several other Harvard teaching hospitals.

Dr. Thomas D. Sabin trained in neurology at Boston City Hospital with Dr. Derek Denny-Brown from 1965-1966.  Following an additional year with Dr. John Sullivan at Tufts, he served in the Public Health Service at the Carville Leprosarium.  He returned to Boston city to work with Dr. Norman Geschwind until 1975, when the Harvard service left for Beth Isreal Hospital.  Dr. Sabin stayed on as Director of Neurology during the Boston University era until City Hospital was closed in 1997.  He is now the residency director, vice chair, and professor in the Tufts Neurology Department.