History of Neurology
 | | Gilbert Chaddock, M.D. |
The first neurologist of record at Saint Louis University was Dr. Gilbert Chaddock. In the 1930's, Dr. Chaddock was the main consulting neurologist in the Firmin Desloge Hospital (now The Saint Louis University Hospital). He was a reputable physician who described a variation of the plantar reflex (lateral malleolus reflex) that bears his name. Various interested physicians sought to undergo neuropsychiatric training (as it was then known) under Dr. Chaddock's tutelage. Among these was Dr. Walter L. Moore, who was perhaps the first neurology trainee in our institution. After Dr. Chaddock's death, the practice of neurology was left in the hands of a group of psychiatrists who conducted these activities in a rather informal fashion. Things remained as they were until 1950 when Dr. Louis Tureen was appointed the first chairman of the Neurology section of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology. |
 | | Louis Tureen, M.D. |
Dr. Tureen graduated with honors from the Washington University School of Medicine where he also trained in neurology. Upon his return from military service, he accepted the challenge of organizing the Neurology section at Saint Louis University. He remained the Director of Neurology until his death in 1968. During his tenure, several neurologists were invited to join the department. Of these, some still remain as part time faculty and others continue as private practicioners in the St. Louis area. The list of names includes Dr. Harvey E. Cantor, Dr. Joseph M. Dooley, Dr. David F. Mendelson, Dr. Fredric M. Simowitz, Dr. Robert M. Woolsey and Dr. Joyce D. Woolsey. During this period, in 1967, the Neurology Residency Program was organized by Dr. Robert Woolsey and approved for training by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. |
 | | Simon Horenstein, M.D. |
Following Dr. Tureen's death, a search committee was appointed in order to find a new chairman and, in the interim, Dr. Robert M. Woolsey served in that capacity. After a several years, the position of Chairman of the Department of Neurology was offered to Dr. Simon Horenstein. A graduate of the University of Illinois in Chicago, Dr. Horenstein had trained in neurology with Dr. Derek Denny-Brown at The Boston City Hospital and had served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. From the time Dr. Horenstein chaired the Department, there are current faculty members who were recruited for training. They are Dr. William J. Burke, Dr. Steven R. Brenner, and Dr. John D. McGarry. Other local neurologists who also trained during this period, include Dr. Glenn M. Sherrod and Dr. Denise Taylor. Dr. Horenstein remained the chairman until 1979, when he resigned in order to allow the University to begin the search for a successor. This search would last more than five years, during which time he remained as acting chairman. |
 | | John B. Selhorst, M.D. |
In 1985, Dr. John B. Selhorst assumed the responsibilities of Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology. A graduate of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, he was inspired during his internal medicine residency to enter neurology by Dr. Robert M. Woolsey. He trained in neurology at Case Western Reserve University under Dr. Joseph M. Foley and, later, completed a fellowship in Neuro-ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco, under the tutelege of Dr. William F. Hoyt. He came to Saint Louis University having served the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond as a neuro-ophthalmologist, neurointensivist and department chairman. In 1999, Dr. Selhorst was named the first holder of the Sylvia N. Souers endowed chair in Neurology. Since his initial appointment, the department has expanded and has continued to exemplify the standard of excellence that characterizes its academic heritage. |
 "Neurology History")