Oskar Vogt

OSKAR VOGT (born in 1869 in Germany), the greatest contemporary neurologist-morphologist, a student of the famous psychiatrist-neurologist-anatomist August Forel. From the very beginning of his scientific activity, V. is versatile in his knowledge in psychiatry, psychology, neuropathology, morphology of the central nervous system and produces a number of cardinal works in these disciplines. For a comparatively short time, V. is interested in and engaged in psychiatry, particularly in questions of hypnosis, and publishes a special journal "Zeitschrift für Hypnotismus" (B., 1892-1901). To works on this question belongs "Zur Kenntniss des Wesens und der psychologischen Bedeutung des Hypnotismus" (Zeitschr. f. Hypnot., B. III, 1895). From this journal in 1902 arises "Journal für Psychologie und Neurologie" (Lpz.), first under the editorship of Forel, Vogt and Brodmann, and at present by K. and Cäcilie Vogts. In 1898, Vogt organizes the Berlin neurobiological institute, where the main works of V. on anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system begin; from 1902, V. publishes the journal "Neurobiologische Arbeiten", where his works are printed. In 1907, his monumental experimental work on the question of electrical irritation of the cerebral cortex appears for the first time, which even today retains great importance in resolving the localization problem: "Zur Kenntniss der elektrisch erregbaren Hirnrindengebiete bei Säugetieren" (J. f. Psychol. u. Neurol., Ergänzungsheft, 1907); "Allgemeine Ergebnisse unserer Hirnforschung" (ibid., B. XXV, Ergänzungsheft, 1919). V. simultaneously studied subcortical formations and conducting paths and introduced new proposals, new data, which illuminated his previous research: "Zur Projektionsfaserung des Gehirns" (1889), "Zur Hirnfaserlehre" (1900), "Zur Erforschung der Hirnfaserung" (1902), "Zur Lehre der Erkrankungen des striären Systems" (J. f. Psychol. u. Neurol., B. XXV, Ergänzungsheft 3, 1920). This last work of V. is one of the fundamental works on the anatomy of the central nervous system. V., together with Elliot Smith, Brodmann, is undoubtedly one of the founders of the doctrine of brain architectonics: his research showed the existence of large, diverse structural features of the human cerebral cortex; equally, V.'s research showed that the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres is divided into approximately 200 structurally different fields. To study the structural features of the cortex (architectonics of the brain) on serial sections going through the entire hemisphere, V. constructs a new microtome, first together with Brodmann and the famous mechanic Becker in Göttingen, and later independently further improved. V. is the sole founder of the doctrine of myeloarchitectonics. The result of a series of studies on the study of architectonics and especially myeloarchitectonics is the aforementioned classic monograph "Allgemeine Ergebnisse unserer Hirnforschung", dedicated to August Forel (1919), which, together with Brodmann's "Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre des Grosshirnrinde" (1909), is the scientific foundation on which the doctrine of architectonics and localization is built. Along with these studies, V. attempts to approach diseases of the cerebral cortex from the point of view of brain architectonics, and in 1922 appears V.'s famous major work: "Erkrankungen der Grosshirnrinde im Lichte der Topistik, Pathoklise und Pathoarchitektonik" (J. f. Psychol. u. Neurol., B. XXVIII). Besides special questions of neurology, V. is one of the very few neurologists in the West who pays enormous attention to the study of genetics in relation to hereditary diseases of the nervous system and their classification. In 1929, V. organizes the Brain Institute in Berlin-Buch, which has excellently equipped anatomical-architectonic, clinical, genetic, electrophysiological, anthropological and chemical departments. All research of V. was carried out together with his wife Cäcilie V. Among Western European scientists, V. is one of the steadfast materialists. But at the same time, it must be noted that the above-mentioned works of Vogt are not devoid of a number of mechanistic concepts [see Architectonics of the cerebral cortex]. Vogt is one of the founders and an active member of the Society of Friends of the Soviet Union in Germany. He repeatedly visited the Soviet Union. He delivered reports in Moscow, Kharkov, Baku, Tiflis, Erivan. V. was entrusted with the study of Lenin's brain. Under the direct guidance and with the personal participation of V., a special institute for the study of brain architectonics was organized in Moscow (which, due to the specificity of its work, is the second institute of its kind in the world after the Berlin Brain Institute). Vogt, being director of the Brain Institute in Berlin, is simultaneously also director of the Moscow Brain Institute.