Apraxia and beyond: life and work of Hugo Liepmann

Abstract

Nearly 100 years after their publication Hugo Liepmann's ideas are still influential for today's neuropsychology. This influence is, however, restricted to a small, albeit central, portion of his work. Cognizance of their wider biographical and scientific context may help to bring about a deeper understanding of their significance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of Liepmann's life and work. In the first part of this paper I try to give an impression of his life, his personality and his style as a clinician and as a scientific writer. The second part is a review of his ideas on cerebral localization of psychological function, and the third an account of his writings on apraxia. Finally, I briefly consider Liepmann's legacy and argue that the less well known parts of his writings are at least as topical today as are his famous papers on apraxia.