Alzheimer

Although Alzheimer's disease has been well documented throughout the twentieth century, no biography has been written of the man who was its namesake. This biography is the first, and it covers the life of Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915), his discovery of the disease that currently afflicts some thirty to forty million people, and his subsequent research.

The very name Alzheimer is sure to bring a shudder. Thirty to forty million people are now afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disorder that strips its victims of their identity and leaves families bereft and social services strained. Despite considerable research, the underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease remain shrouded in mystery. So, too, does the man after whom it was named. Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) was practicing medicine at the Frankfurt Asylum in 1901 when he met a patient, who would become known as "Auguste D.," whose condition perplexed and intrigued him. Alzheimer is more than a biography; it is a story of scientific discovery at a crucial stage in the history of medical psychiatry.