History of Neurology WILLIAM JAMES, MD FEBRUARY 6 TH, 2017 NEUROLOGY RESIDENT MORNING REPORT

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1 History of Neurology WILLIAM JAMES, MD FEBRUARY 6 TH, 2017 NEUROLOGY RESIDENT MORNING REPORT

2 William James MD ( ) B NYC; wealthy family, went to Europe Brother- Henry James (author) 1 st studied art Harvard undergrad; studied in Europe under Von Helmholtz Harvard med school- graduated age 27 Zoological expedition with Louis Agassiz in Brazil (Amazon) Nervous breakdown (3 years) On recovery epiphany: My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will Returned to life: experience/anti-mental, intellectual, Cartesian 1872 (age 30)-taught physiology at Harvard 1875-Began teaching psychology Established 1 st experimental psychology lab in the USA Principles of Psychology; started in 1879, published in began teaching philosophy After publication of Principles James lost interest in this nasty little subject : All one cares to know lies outside it

3 William James MD ( ) The James 1890 Principles of Psychology-2 volumes: the James One of the Great Books of Western Civilization! 1892-Psychology The Briefer Course: the Jimmy 1897 The Will To Believe & Other Essays in Popular Philosophy 1899-Talks to Teachers on Psychology: and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals The Varieties of Religious Experience Another religious epiphany from vacation in Adirondacks: it seemed as if the Gods of all the of all nature- mythologies were holding an indescribable meeting in my breast with the moral Gods of the inner life Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking 1909-A Pluralistic Universe 1909-The Meaning of Truth: A Sequel to "Pragmatism The Jimmy

4 Great Books of Western Civilization

5 James s Theory of Emotion in: Principles of Psychology Also formulated by colleague Carl Lange and Giuseppe Sergi James-Lange-Sergi Theory of Emotion Emotion is the mind's perception of physiological conditions that result from some stimulus It is not that we see a bear, fear it, and run; we see a bear and run; consequently, we fear the bear Our mind's perception of the higher adrenaline level, heartbeat, etc. is the emotion Aesthetic emotion, pure and simple, the pleasure given us by certain lines and masses, and combinations of colors and sounds, is an absolutely sensational experience in Principles

6 James & Attention in: Principles of Psychology Focusing of sensory apparatus is an essential feature of all sensory processes. Millions of items of the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. Every one knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others The Principles of Psychology When confronted more than one input the brain does not process equally.

7 James: Pragmatism &Free Will in The Will to Believe & Pragmatism Truth is relativistic The value of every truth is dependent on the use to the person who holds it The mind of the observer and simple acts of observation will affect the outcome of any imperial approach to truth as the mind and its experiences and nature are inseparable The pragmatist always means 'true for him who experiences the workings James would seek the meaning of 'true' by examining how the idea functioned in our lives Will to Believe grounds justified belief in an unwavering principle that would prove more beneficial

8 From: 30 Seconds Philosophies 2009

9 William James MD: The Social Value of the College Bred Speech, then published essay, then in books In Memories and Studies (1911) Mankind does nothing save through initiatives on the part of inventors, great or small, and imitation by the rest of us. These are the sole factors active in human progress. Individuals of genius show the way, and set the patterns, which common people then adopt and follow. The rivalry of the pattern is the history of the world

10 A plaque from a former student given to Dr. Barohn

11 THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE.Platonic/Déscartes (Cartesian) Innate, a priori idea and principle Lockeian/Jamesion Knowledge derived from experience/senses We can know all things Goal: Seek certain knowledge We cannot know all things Goal: Understand limitations Knowledge that works Seek knowledge sufficient & good enough for our needs, maybe less than certain Reduction, absolutism Created by Philosophers Induction, relativism Created by physicians

12 THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE AS IT RELATES TO MEDICINE Platonic/Cartesian Premise: All disease can be understood through molecular mechanisms Dx: Based on knowledge of molecular defect Rx: Fixing defect Lockeian/Jamesion Premise: All medical decisions are based on incomplete knowledge of disease cause Dx: Pattern recognition of symps/signs and indirect lab tests Rx: Practical - what works

13 Henry James: Brother of William ( ) He wrote all of the following novels except? The Portrait of a Lady Wings of a Dove Brideshead Revisited The Golden Bowl Daisy Miller The Turn of the Screw Answer: Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh 1945)