Konstantin von Monakow

MONAKOW, Konstantin von (Constantin v. Monakov, 1853-1930), the famous neurologist, anatomist, and physiologist of the central nervous system. Born in Russia in Vologda Governorate, at the age of eight he emigrated with his parents to Switzerland; in 1877 he graduated from the medical faculty in Zurich; until 1885 he was an assistant in a psychiatric hospital; from 1885 to 1928 he lectured on neuropathology at the University of Zurich; in 1894 he was appointed professor. In 1891 he founded the Brain Research Institute and outpatient clinic for nervous diseases in Zurich. The institute is the richest in terms of the number of collections of brain preparations. Monakow's main idea was that the neurological clinic must work in the closest connection with the anatomy, physiology, and pathological anatomy of the nervous system. Through his works, Monakow exerted a very great influence on the development of neurology over the last 50 years. Monakow's classical works are «Gehirnpathologie» (Wien, 1. Aufl., 1896; 2. Aufl., 1905) and «Die Lokalisation im Grosshirn u. der Abbau der Funktion durch kortikale Herde» (München-Wiesbaden, 1914). In the latter work, Monakow, based on a vast amount of material both of his own and of other authors, subjects the generally accepted views on the localization in the cerebral cortex of centers of movement, sensitivity, speech, and praxis to a thorough critical reassessment, and arrives at conclusions which, while not denying localization in principle, nevertheless accept it at the same time only in a very cautious form: functions in the cerebral cortex are represented very broadly; regarding such complex functions as speech, one should generally speak of places where a given function is most vulnerable, and one can by no means speak of sharply outlined speech centers, etc. Here also Monakow develops in full his doctrine of diaschisis (see), drawing upon it to a wide extent to explain the clinical pictures arising from damage to one or another area of the cerebral cortex. In total, Monakow has about 130 scientific works on various issues of neurology, biology, psychology, psychiatry, and a number of works on social themes. Among Monakow's works concerning specific issues, special mention should be made of his work on the composition of the restiform body and on the lateral nucleus of the VIII cranial nerve (Neurol. Zentralbl., B. I, 1882; Arch. f. Psychiatrie, B. XIV, 1883), on the relation of the cortical visual sphere to the subcortical visual centers and to the optic nerves (Arch. f. Psychiatrie, B. XIV, 1883; B. XVI, 1885; B. XX, 1889; B. XXIII-XXIV, 1892-1893), on the dependence of the nuclei of the optic thalamus on the cortex, on the striae acusticae (Neurol. Zentralbl., B. VIII, 1889), a number of works on aphasia, apraxia, diaschisis, and a number of works on teratology. Under Monakow's editorship, «Arbeiten aus dem Hirnanatomischen Institut in Zürich» (B. I-X, 1905-16) was published. The extensive monograph (Monakow in collaboration with his pupil Mourgue) «Biologische Einführung in das Studium der Neurologie u. Psychopathologie» (Stuttgart, 1930; Paris, 1928) contains a review of all of Monakow's most important works. Monakow was an honorary member and corresponding member of 22 scientific societies in a number of countries.