Alois Alzheimer

ALZHEIMER, Alois (1864-1915), the famous German psychiatrist known for his works on the pathological anatomy of psychoses, which was established chiefly through the labors of Alzheimer and his teacher Nissl. Alzheimer long headed the anatomical laboratory in Kraepelin's clinic in Munich; in 1912 he received the chair of psychiatry in Breslau. His major works concern the pathological anatomy of progressive paralysis (a classical work, 1904), arteriosclerosis and brain syphilis (especially of the small vessels), epilepsy, amoeboid transformation of glia, and breakdown products. Alzheimer developed a number of nerve tissue staining methods. He identified and described clinically and anatomically a special disease named after him (see Alzheimer's disease).

Under Alzheimer's guidance, a large number of anatomical works were published, mainly in the «Histologische und histopathologische Arbeiten», which he edited together with Nissl. Together with Lewandowsky, Alzheimer founded in 1909 and edited the journal «Zeitschrift für die gesamte Neurologie und Psychiatrie», which is the largest journal in neurology and psychiatry.