The History Of Tropical Neurology

Tropical neurology refers to those diseases of the nervous system which prevail in between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Developments in speed and ease of travel and globalisation of economy have resulted in large scale migration rendering the boundaries of tropical regions less distinct. Wars, famines, natural disasters and economic sanctions have added to the problem of infection and aggravated the preexisting nutritional deficiency disorders in many tropical countries. This book is aimed at residents, practicing physicians, health workers and physicians from western countries who are visiting the tropical countries.

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of mostly infectious diseases that thrive among poor populations in tropical countries. A significant proportion of the conditions affecting the neurological system in such countries can be attributed to neglected tropical diseases of helminth, protozoan, bacterial, or viral origin. The neurological burden of neglected tropical diseases has not been thoroughly investigated yet, but is expected to be significant; its full appreciation, estimation, and recognition present significant challenges, as shown by the case of the “silent epidemic” of epilepsy. While tropical infections involving the nervous system are today largely preventable or treatable, as vaccines or chemotherapeutic agents are available to kill or neutralize the responsible agents, associated morbidity – when established – cannot be cured. In resource-poor settings it is likely that many infections will not be treated and will therefore progress into their advanced and severe stages, thus being increasingly associated with irreversible morbidity; this is also the case for neurological morbidity, which often entails permanent disability. Public health should aim at reducing the burden of tropical neurological diseases through interventions addressing the infection, the associated morbidity, and the disability deriving from it.

Cysticercosis, an infection caused by the cystic larvae of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, is one of the most frequent parasitic infections of the human nervous system (neurocysticercosis). It is endemic in most of Latin America, the sub-Saharan Africa, and vast parts of Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. It has also been increasingly diagnosed in developed countries because of migration of people from endemic zones and exposure in travelers. The life cycle involves the development of the adult tapeworm in the human small intestine (after ingesting infected pork with cysts) and larval infection in pig tissues (after ingesting human stools containing the eggs of the tapeworm). Humans get infected by the fecal-oral route, most often from a direct contact with an asymptomatic Taenia carrier. Most common clinical presentations are seizures (particularly late-onset seizures), chronic headaches, and intracranial hypertension. However, cysticerci can locate anywhere in the human nervous system, thus potentially causing almost any neurological syndrome and making clinical diagnosis a difficult task. Neuroimaging is the main diagnostic tool, and specific serology confirms the diagnosis and helps to define the diagnosis when images are unclear. Factors such as location (extraparenchymal versus intraparenchymal), number, size and evolutive stage of the parasites determine the clinical manifestations, therapeutic approach, and prognosis. Management includes symptomatic drugs (analgesics, antiepileptic drugs, anti-inflammatory agents) and in many cases cysticidal drugs, either albendazole or praziquantel. In recent years, efforts have focused on transmission control and potential elimination in endemic regions.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology: Volume 95 is the first of over 90 volumes of the handbook to be entirely devoted to the history of neurology. The book is a collection of historical materials from different neurology professionals. The book is divided into 6 sections and composed of 55 chapters organized around different aspects of the history of neurology. The first section presents the beginnings of neurology: ancient trepanation, its birth in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt; the emergence of neurology in the biblical text and the Talmud; neurology in the Greco-Roman world and the period following Galen; neurological conditions in the European Middle Ages; and the development of neurology in the 17th and 18th centuries. The second section narrates the birth of localization theory; the beginning of neurology and histological applications, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, surgical neurology and other anatomo-clinical methods. The third section covers further development of the discipline, including methods of neurological illustration and hospitals in neurology and neurosurgery. This section also narrates the history of child neurology, neurodisability and neuroendocrinology. It also features the application of molecular biology on clinical neurology. The fourth section describes the dysfunctions of the nervous system and their history. The fifth and last section covers the regional landmarks of neurology and the different treatments and recovery. The text is informative and useful for neuroscience or neurology professional, researchers, clinical practitioners, mental health experts, psychiatrists, and academic students and scholars in neurology. * A comprehensive accounting of historical developments and modern day advancements in the field of neurology * State-of-the-art information on topics including brain damage and dysfunctions of the nervous system * New treatments and recovery methods from redundancy to vicariation and neural transplantation, amongst others

About three-fourths of the total world population live in the tropics but consume only 6% of worldwide food production and contribute 15% of the world's net revenue explaining the short life expectancy, high infantile mortality, and poor daily caloric intake; moreover, lack of clean drinking water and deficient sanitation promote water-borne infections, diarrhea, and risk of malabsorption that contribute to the prevalence of malnutrition in the tropics. One-third of the world's population consumes insufficient iodine increasing the risk for mental retardation and deafness due to maternal hypothyroidism. The main nutritional syndromes comprise protein-energy malnutrition (marasmus and kwashiorkor); nutritional neuropathies, myelopathies and neuromyelopathies, as well as specific deficiencies of vitamins and micronutrients including iodine, iron, zinc, and selenium.

Since its founding in 1957, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) has been deeply integrated in the development of international collaboration in the field of neurology, and has played a key part in asserting with dissemination of information and the need to learn from each other, independent of political systems, but with a basis in the development of democracy worldwide. This book covers the history of the WFN from its founding in Brussels in 1957 to the present day. Written by a former President and long-standing officer of the WFN, The History of the World Federation of Neurology chronicles the formation and expansion of the WFN, the development of its structure and various committees, and the evolution of its global biennial meeting, the World Congress of Neurology. Sections of the text focus on the key neurologists involved in the development of the WFN, including Houston Merritt, Pearce Bailey Jr, and Ludo van Bogaert, to name but a few, as well as the history of its educational publications, including World Neurology and Journal of the Neurological Sciences.