Hosted by Jake Sossamon, a neurology resident at Stanford University, The History of Neurology Podcast explores the human drama and discoveries behind the syndromes and eponyms we use in clinical practice every day. By tracing the evolution of the specialty from wartime breakthroughs to landmark laboratory insights, the show bridges the gap between the archives of the past and the challenges of the modern ward. Each episode concludes with "Consulting the Masters," an AI-assisted segment that brings neurological pioneers into the 21st century to weigh in on current breakthroughs. For inquiries, story suggestions, or collaborations, please reach out at historyofneurology@gmail.com.
This episode is the first of a 3-part series chronicling the discover of the neuron! The goal will be to start from the ancients and their belief that the heart was the seat of consciousness, and go all the way to the neuron doctrine, solidifying our current understanding of what a nerve is and how it functions (in the last episode I said I was going to discuss Santiago Ramon y Cajal, and for the history-buffs listening, you know that I will indeed get to him shortly). This was way too much to fit into a single 20-minute episode, so for Part 1 we will start with the very first recorded mentions of the brain in 1600 BCE all the way up to the Greek philosophers we all know and love including Plato, Aristotle, and Hippocrates.
Please Subscribe and Share!
Connect with the Show:
Historyofneurology@gmail.com
5 May 2026
The 28 Lines that Changed Neurology: On Babinki's Reflex
In this episode, we travel to late 19th-century Paris to meet a Polish-French neurologist who stood at the center of a medical revolution: a favorite student of the "Napoleon of the Salpêtrière" who was nearly cast out of medicine. He was a master of physical diagnosis and gave us the clinical reflex that differentiated a malady of the mind from a malady of the brain with the scratch of a key. We’ll dive into Joseph Babinski, how he transformed the world of neurology with a single paper only 28 lines long, and the eponym wars the ensued shortly after.
Primary Sources & Further Reading: Babinski, J. (1896). Sur le réflexe cutané plantaire dans certaines affections organiques du système nerveux central. Comptes Rendus de la Société de Biologie, 48, 32-33.
Connect with the Show:
Historyofneurology@gmail.com
Please Subscribe and Share!
2 Apr 2026
James Parkinson the Paleontologist
Before he was a household name in neurology, James Parkinson was a man of dangerous secrets and ancient stones. In this episode, we travel to 19th-century London to meet a surgeon who lived a triple life: a political radical nearly executed for a plot against the King, a world-renowned pioneer of paleontology, and a community doctor who identified a "shaking palsy" by simply watching his neighbors walk to the market.
Primary Sources & Further Reading:
Parkinson, J. (1817). An Essay on the Shaking Palsy. Printed by Whittingham and Rowland for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones.
Old Hubert [Parkinson, J.]. (1794). Pearls Cast Before Swine: Or, A Christmas Present to the "Swinish Multitude." Being a Collection of Valuable Material from the Library of Old Hubert. Printed for D. I. Eaton.
Connect with the Show:
Please Subscribe and Share!
Historyofneurology@gmail.com
10 Feb 2026
The 'L' is Not Silent: The Secret History of Guillain-Barré
"We’ve been saying it wrong for a century."
In this episode, we deconstruct the wartime discovery and the linguistic mystery of Guillain-Barré-Strohl Syndrome. From the trenches of the Somme to the lecture halls of the Salpêtrière, we explore how a name became a brand and who was left behind in the process.
Primary Sources & Further Reading:
The Original 1916 Paper: Guillain G, Barré JA, Strohl A. Sur un syndrome de radiculo-névrite avec hyperalbuminose du liquide céphalo-rachidien sans réaction cellulaire. Bull Mem Soc Med Hop Paris. 1916; 40:1462-70.
On the Pronunciation: Rogoff, JB. Pronunciation of Guillain. JAMA. 1977; 237(22):2381.
The 1937 Retraction: Guillain, G. Radiculoneuritis with Acellular Hyperalbuminosis of the Cerebrospinal Fluid. International Congress of Neurology, Paris (1936).
The Legacy of Barré: Schächter, M. In Memoriam: Jean-Alexandre Barré (1880-1967). Revue d'Oto-Neuro-Ophtalmologie. 1967.
Connect with the Show:
Please Subscribe and Share!
Historyofneurology@gmail.com
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Contact History of Neurology
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of History of Neurology?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
