Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915) was a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist best known for identifying the first case of presenile dementia, later named Alzheimer’s disease. His research laid the foundation for modern neurodegenerative studies.
Born in Marktbreit, Bavaria, Alzheimer studied medicine at the Universities of Berlin, Tübingen, and Würzburg, earning his Doctor of Medicine (1887.) He began his career at the Municipal Asylum for Lunatics and Epileptics in Frankfurt, collaborating with Franz Nissl on cerebral cortex research.
In 1901, Alzheimer examined Auguste Deter, a patient with severe memory loss, disorientation, and hallucinations. After her death (1906,) he discovered plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in her brain—hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. He presented his findings at the Southwest German Psychiatrists’ Conference (1906,) earning recognition from Emil Kraepelin, who named the condition Alzheimer’s disease (1910.)
Alzheimer co-founded and co-published Zeitschrift für die gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatrie (Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry,) but never authored a book. His work advanced neuropathology and psychiatry. In 1912, he became Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Breslau, but his health declined due to an infectious illness, leading to his death in 1915.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Alois Alzheimer
Excessive reservations and paralyzing despondency have not helped the sciences to advance nor are they helping them to advance, but a healthy optimism that cheerfully searches for new ways to understand, as it is convinced that it will be possible to find them.
—Alois Alzheimer
Topics: Medicine
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