Hermann Oppenheim, a pioneer of modern German neurology.

Resumo

Hermann Oppenheim (1858-1919) was a leading figure of the modern German neurology. In spite of the antisemitic official policy, besides his complex personality, he had achieved widespread recognition of his professional qualification that attracted neurologists from all around the world to his private clinic. However, he did not held prominent positions at University milieu, in spite of being the main assistant to Karl Westphal (1833–1890) at the Charité-Hospital, in Berlin. Oppenheim was the author of an encyclopedic book of neurology titled “Lehrbuch der Nervenkrankheiten für Ärzte und Studierende”
(“Textbook of Nervous Diseases for Doctors and Students”), first ed., 1894. He also published significant works on several disorders, including "traumatic neurosis" (1889) that was criticized by Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), among others. He was clinically responsible for the first successful removal of brain tumors, including pineal tumor. He coined the term "dystonia musculorum deformans", and he led to several other achievements such as amyotonia congenita ("Oppenheim's disease"), besides Oppenheim's reflex.