The Legacy of Tracy J Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the United States

Tracy Putnam and H. Houston Merritt co-discovered the effectiveness of Dilantin in controlling epilepsy, a dramatic find that is still invaluable today. Now, in this engaging volume, eminent neurologist Lewis P. Rowland, MD, tells the unique story of these two key figures and their outstanding contributions to science. Rowland reveals that Putnam was a brilliant and imaginative experimentalist, but he clashed with others--including powerful neurosurgeons--and ended up dying in relative obscurity. Merritt was the practical one, an observer, fact-collector and recorder, a practitioner of what is now called "evidence-based medicine". From his early days Merritt was a popular and remarkable diagnostician, and went on to be one of the most influential neurologists in the United States, a man who trained a generation of neurologists. As Dr. Rowland recounts this dual biography, he also sheds light on the origins of modern neurology, drug development, the growth of neuroscience and clinical investigation, academic anti-Semitism, the difficult struggle to translate basic science into clinical practice, the need for controls in therapeutic trials, and many other issues.

Table of Contents:
1: Dilantin: The Great Achievement of Tracy Jackson Putnam and H. Houston Merritt 2: Putnam, a True Boston Brahmin 3: Boston City Hospital: Cradle of Modern Neurology in the United States 4: Putnam Moves from Harvard and Boston to Columbia and New York City: In Harm's Way 5: Putnam at the New York Neurological Institute: Clinical Activity and Vulnerability 6: The Jewish Question and Political Liberalism 7: Putnam Establishes Basic and Translational Neuroscience at Columbia 8: Putnam Gets the Boot: How It Was Done 9: Phenytoin and the Road from Psychoanalysis to Psychopharmacology 10: H. Houston Merritt, 1902-1979 11: Merritt Moves to New York: Montefiore and Columbia--Another Tale of Two Hospitals 12: Putnam in California 13: Merritt's Last Days

About the Author :
Lewis P. Rowland, MD, is Professor of Neurology and Chairman Emeritus at Columbia University; Attending Neurologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital; a Consultant at Harlem Hospital; editor of a bi-weekly newspaper, Neurology Today; and the editor since the Seventh Edition of Merritt's Neurology.

Review :
"The author tells the story beautifully, drawing contrasts between the two remarkable people who collaborated in the basic science component of the discovery and the clinical evaluation needed to bring Dilantin to the clinic. In telling this story, the author also describes vividly the early days in the evolution of neurology and psychiatry in the United States, including many tales regarding the leaders in both fields of the time. Easy to read, the book provides a lively narrative that will be comprehensible and compelling to both the lay public and the clinician or scientist."--Sid Gilman MD FRCP, William J. Herdman Distinguished University Professor of Neurology, Director, Michigan Alzheimer's, Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI "Lewis Rowland is one of the premier neurologists of the second half of the 20th century. In the 21st century he has added to his accomplishments by becoming a premier medical historian. In his current book The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the United States, Rowland captures the essence of these two giants and describes how neurology evolved as a powerful science based clinical discipline not only at Columbia, and at Harvard, but throughout the United States. The book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how individuals influence the history of events in science and in medicine."--Eric R. Kandel, MD, Nobel Laureate, Professor of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, and Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY and author of In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind "Dr. Lewis Rowland, distinguished neurologist, author, editor and teacher, has been a major leader in the extraordinary growth and development of Neurology from an arcane specialty to the explosive field of neuroscience over the past fifty years...Now, with the arrival of his latest book, The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the Unjtied States, readers interested in the history of Neurology will welcome Dr. Rowland's insights into these two icons of 20th Century neurosurgery and neurology. Having spent the major years of his career at Columbia University Medical School, Dr. Rowland is uniquely qualified to tell this story. Readers will appreciate his lucid style and his analysis of these events and the individuals who led the way."--Robert A. Fishman MD, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA "The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the United States is a delight to read and will be both exciting and informative to neurologists, psychiatrists, and all with an interest in the history of neuroscience in the 20th century In so eloquently telling this story, "Bud" Rowland, one of Merritt's successors as Chair of Neurology at Columbia's Neurologic Institute, has documented much of the history of modern neurology and neuroscience."--John M. Freeman MD, Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics (emeritus), Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD "The author tells the story beautifully, drawing contrasts between the two remarkable people who collaborated in the basic science component of the discovery and the clinical evaluation needed to bring Dilantin to the clinic. In telling this story, the author also describes vividly the early days in the evolution of neurology and psychiatry in the United States, including many tales regarding the leaders in both fields of the time. Easy to read, the book provides a lively narrative that will be comprehensible and compelling to both the lay public and the clinician or scientist."--Sid Gilman MD FRCP, William J. Herdman Distinguished University Professor of Neurology, Director, Michigan Alzheimer's, Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI "Lewis Rowland is one of the premier neurologists of the second half of the 20th century. In the 21st century he has added to his accomplishments by becoming a premier medical historian. In his current book The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt: Modern Neurology in the United States, Rowland captures the essence of these two giants and describes how neurology evolved as a powerful science based clinical discipline not only at Columbia, and at Harvard, but throughout the United States. The book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding how individuals influence the history of events in science and in medicine."--Eric R. Kandel, MD, Nobel Laureate, Professor of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, and Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY and author of In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind "This is a great story of the best and worst of times in modern neurology in the United States. Putnam and Merritt were agonists and antagonists in the true sense and the telling of this drama is eloquently presented. Rowland is one of the great neurologists of this era who watched, was affected by and lived through this saga. It is a tale told with affection and insight and a must read by all who want to know the intimate dynamics of these two men."--Roger N. Rosenberg, MD, in the Archives of Neurology "This unique documentation about the two vital men and many others is truly a vivid recapitulation of the 'origins of modern neurology, drug development, neuroscience, and clinical investigation' promoted by these icons of American neurosciences. Reading this book with its wonderful personal stories and the authors' memories provides wonderful insights into the history of events in neurological science and medicine, a 'must-read' for anyone interested in the early days of neurology in the United States."--K.A. Jellinger in the European Journal of Neurology "No one but Bud Rowland could have provided such a rich, detailed, and highly readable account of the lives and achievements of Tracy Putnam and Houston Merritt, and of the many other figures who contributed to the development of American neurology in the middle years of the twentieth century. Their story is an often dramatic one, and one which set the stage for the unfolding of modern neurology and neuroscience. Rowland gives us vivid portraits of the personalities, the struggles, and, on occasion, the battles, of the main players.... Above all, Rowland conveys the excitement and high intellectual adventure which marked the early days of neurology in the United States."--Oliver Sacks, MD, FRCP, Columbia University Artist and Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry "...a beautifully written and enjoyable book..."--Journal of the Neurological Sciences "Rowland, an extraordinary man himself, reveals in this short monograph the layers of science, politics, and mistakes that influence academic careers and cause every academic clinician to wonder both, "Why do I do this?" and "How could I do anything else?"--New England Journal of Medicine "Rowland provides a compelling and beautifully written story of the two men, their times and circumstances...a great story of the best and worst of times in modern neurology in the United States....It is a tale told with affection and insight and is a must read by all who want to know the intimate dynamics of these two men."--Archives of Neurology "The strengths of the work include the interesting characters and lives of its subjects, the fascinating historical context, and the author's eloquent and personal writing style. There are no significant weaknesses in this book....This book...is well worth reading."--Epilepsy and Behavior "This book is a must read....I found the book hard to put down. The writing is excellent. It probably is the best picture of American neurology in the mid to late 20th century, a time of major growth in our specialty. I recommend the book highly to all neurologists and trainees who have an interest in how American neurology developed from a backward and dysfunctional specialty to its present prominence. It will be the primary source for those who write about neurology in this era, and a starting point for those who wish to explore in more depth the influence of other neurologists and the ascendancy of the American Academy of Neurology."--H. Richard Tyler, MD, in Neurology "...Rowland has produced both a valuable addition to the history of neurology and a scholarly, entertaining and highly readable book....a 'must-have' for the historian of modern neurology..."--The Neuro Times, an historical blog dedicated to neurology and neuroscience "...shed[s] an important and revisionist light on the period in which neurology underwent it's greatest social and scientific advancements...fascinating and enjoyable."--BRAIN