Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with December 24.

Events

1801 – In Vienna, Emperor Francis I of Austria moved to suppress the theory of “cranioscopy” (early phrenological cerebral localisation) devised by Franz Josef Gall (1758-1828). He condemned it as materialist and “contrary to religion”, a revealing moment when brain science collided with the politics of the soul:

This doctrine concerning the head, which is talked about with enthusiasm will perhaps cause a few to loose their heads and it leads to materialism, therefore is opposed to the first principles of morals and religion…

Emperor Francis of Austria. December 24, 1801

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Births

1936 – Guy Hugues Fontaine (1936-2018), French cardiologist and electrophysiolgist. Coined the term arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), the epsilon wave, and Fontaine leads

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Deaths

1916 – Edgard Hirtz (1849-1916), German born, French trained physician; described Hirtz Sign (1911)

1927 – Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev (1857-1927), Russian neurologist. Best known for noting the role of the hippocampus in memory; his study of reflexes; and Bekhterew disease (ankylosing spondylitis)

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Further reading

• Zola-Morgan S. Localization of brain function: the legacy of Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). Annu Rev Neurosci. 1995; 18: 359-383.