Social and medical origins of neurochemistry

Abstract

Neurochemistry, the biochemistry of brain and nerve, had its identifiable scientific origins in France just before the French Revolution. Its main development remained in the hands of Parisian chemists over the next four decades. Thereafter, interest in the subject spread slowly through the German-speaking world. The most significant advances were made by a Hessian, practicing medicine and chemistry as an émigré in London in the second half of the 19th century. Some chemists had an intrinsic interest in exploring the brain by the techniques which they had applied to various organs of the body. However, there were others for whom social, medical, even philosophical, factors were the spur in their choice of study of the chemistry of the nervous system. This paper describes the early growth of neurochemistry as I have come to understand it during the course of historical research during the past 10 years.