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Biomedical subjects

F R Freemon

Publications and source records attributed to F R Freemon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

William Alexander Hammond: the centenary of his death.

In the United States, the field of clinical neurology began within the medical practice of a single physician, William Alexander Hammond. In the 1870s, this New York medical practitioner became the first American physician who limited his practice to patients who suffered from symptoms potentially due to dysfunction of the nervous system. From the experience of his huge practice, Hammond wrote the first American textbook of neurology. With Silas Weir Mitchell, he founded the American Neurological Association. The year 2000 marked the 100th anniversary of Hammond's death and stimulates this brief survey of his life.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1996

The first career of William Alexander Hammond.

Neurology in its modern sense was first studied in the well-known neurological institutions of France and England. In America, however, this new field of medicine was developed by a physician in a private practice, Dr. William Alexander Hammond. This article addresses the question how Hammond was able to limit his practice to neurology. It is argued that Hammond was a famous military physician before becoming the first practitioner of clinical neurology in America. This fame translated into a large referral base.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1994

Galen's ideas on neurological function.

Galen was the leading physician of the Roman empire during the last half of the second century. Unlike some of his predecessors, Galen concluded that the brain controlled cognition and willed action. The initial evidence for this doctrine was that the brain was the site of termination of all of the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Galen presumed that the information from these five senses was organized by a part of the brain that generated a concept of an object common to all senses; this part of the brain he considered to be the area of common sense. Galen thought that he could differentiate sensory from motor nerves (not nerve fibers) by palpation. Sensory nerves were soft because they needed to be impressed with the essence of the object seen, heard, felt, smelled, or tasted. Motor nerve fibers were very hard because they needed to carry the force of the will from the brain to the muscles. Strong willed people had especially firm motor nerve fibers; hence, the modern term that a person with great bravery has 'nerves of steel'. Galen considered that common sense, cognition, and memory were functions of the brain. Personality and emotion were not generated by the brain, but rather by the body as a whole (or perhaps by the heart and liver). Galen's studies of respiration and of the recurrent laryngeal nerve solidified the knowledge that the brain, not the chest, was the site of the rational power that guides human behavior. This doctrine has continued from Galen's time to the present.

Brain↗
PubMed1993

Detecting feigned illness during the American Civil War.

The problem of feigned illness was a common one in the Civil War, afflicting both Northern and Southern military forces. The diagnostic approach of the Civil War doctor involved the initial dichotomous classification of each patient; he either suffered from physical illness (what today would be called an organic illness) or he purposely devised symptoms to avoid military service. The modern concept of the unconscious mind was totally absent from the diagnostic thinking of the Civil War physician.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1992

The medical challenge of military operations in the Mississippi Valley during the American Civil War.

The prevention and treatment of disease was as important as combat operations in the campaigns along the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. Throughout the Vicksburg campaign, many more soldiers were disabled by sickness than by combat injury. While this held true for both sides, a greater proportion of the Union army was healthy than of the opposing Confederate force. In the last 2 years of the war, the North tried to occupy the Confederate states in the Mississippi Valley. The failure to accomplish this goal was partly due to the deteriorating health of the Union army. Medical knowledge and action taken to prevent disease were of major importance in the success and the failure of military campaigns in the Mississippi Valley during the American Civil War.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed1990

Electroencephalography should not be routine in the evaluation of syncope in adults.

We reviewed the reports of all electroencephalograms obtained at the Nashville (Tenn) Veterans Administration Hospital from September 1987 to August 1989. Seventy-three patients were referred for evaluation of syncope or near syncope. Of these 73 patients, 10 (13.7%) had abnormal findings. Twenty-six patients were referred for other complaints similar to syncope (ie, blackouts, loss of consciousness, falling out, passing out, and fainting). Of these 26 patients, five (19.2%) had abnormal findings. We reviewed the medical records of the patients with abnormal findings and found that the final diagnosis or treatment of the syncope was affected by electroencephalogram in only one patient. These findings suggest that routine electroencephalography is not of significant value in the evaluation of syncope in adults.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Administration of the Medical Department of the Confederate States Army, 1861 to 1865.

During its brief existence, the Confederate States of America created many new institutions. This paper concerns one of these, the Medical Department of the Confederate States Army. From a very small nidus of experienced physicians, this organization expanded to supervise thousands of officers, to build many huge hospitals, and to expend millions of dollars. The Medical Department also experienced some administrative failures, the most obvious of which were the failure to vaccinate against smallpox and the inability to control the loss of manpower associated with medical furlough. Like all institutions, the Medical Department produced both successes and failures. The fact that the South lost the War Between the States tends to obscure the successes and emphasize the failures.

Disability Evaluation↗
PubMed1985

The health of the American slave examined by means of Union Army medical statistics.

The health status of the American slave in the 19th century remains unclear despite extensive historical research. Better knowledge of slave health would provide a clearer picture of the life of the slave, a better understanding of the 19th-century medicine, and possibly even clues to the health problems of modern blacks. This article hopes to contribute to the literature by examining another source of data. Slaves entering the Union Army joined an organization with standardized medical care that generated extensive statistical information. Review of these statistics answers questions about the health of young male blacks at the time American slavery ended.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1983

Cataplexy brought on by playing checkers.

A 55-year-old man had experienced spells of weakness and trembling daily for 24 years before the correct diagnosis of cataplexy was reached. While the patient played checkers, the degree of cataplexy worsened when it was the patient's move and improved when it was his opponent's. Response to therapy was excellent.

Cataplexy↗