By Jacques Philippon and Jacques Poirier. 453 pp., illustrated. New York, Oxford University Press, 2009. $49.95. ISBN 978-0-19-536975-5.
Joseph Babinski (1857–1932) — recognized today primarilyfor the eponymous Babinski sign of the physical examination— became a pioneer of modern neurology when he broke withthe tradition of his former mentor, Jean-Martin Charcot, todevelop and promulgate the neurologic examination. Charcot,unquestionably the leading neurologist of the mid-19th century,had relied primarily on medical history taking and astute observationto formulate clinical assessments. He had also championed theidea that hysteria was a dynamic dysfunction of the cerebralcortex. Babinski, in contrast, doubted the utility and accuracyof medical history taking and emphasized the importance of aproperly . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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