Raymond Adams

Book excerpt: Raymond Adams: A Life of Mind and Muscle is a contribution to the history of neurology and the history of American medicine. Adams, one of the greats of neurology, advanced the fields of neurology, neuropathology, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and psychology. Drawing on 50 interviews with Raymond D. Adams and on interviews with 50 other professionals and family members, this book documents his contributions to knowledge, his expansion of the realm of neurology, and his vast impact as an educator and author. Following an introductory chapter, "The Phenomenon of Raymond Adams," the book deals chronologically with the phases of his life, education, and professional work. Another section of the book is arranged by disease categories and related topics, explaining his investigative work and ideas. There is a chapter of summation, analyzing the accomplishment and legacy of Dr. Adams. Numerous appendices include letters of correspondence, a letter of nomination, and extracts of interviews with other neurologists. These documents provide further insight into Adam's personality and work patterns. This book convincingly demonstrates Dr. Adam's seminal role in the completion of the 19th century task of clinicopathologic analysis of neurological diseases, the opening of the study of muscle pathology, the systematic study of cerebrovascular diseases, and emergence of the modern field of pediatric neurology, along with demonstrating the extent to which he educated generations of leaders in neurology and to which he guided neurologists everywhere with his great synthesis, Principles of Neurology.