Henry Hun and his family: Three foundational stories in the history of nineteenth-century American neurology, Part II. Edward Hun (1842-1880) and the beginnings of neurological research in nineteenth-century America.

Abstract

Edward Reynolds Hun is easily eclipsed by his father, Thomas (1808-1896), and his younger brother, Henry (1854-1924), in historical accounts of the evolution of neurology as a clinical specialty and academic discipline in nineteenth-century America. His early educational pathway, including a postgraduate year in Paris, was typical for sons of the wealthy seeking a medical degree. On his return from Europe, he embarked on a research career in neuropsychiatry seeking to uncover biochemical and pathological underpinnings for psychiatric disorders. In addition to standard postmortem examinations, he used the most up-to-date technological advances such as sphygmography. He was also one of the first Americans to publish photomicrographs of muscle obtained by biopsy. In his mid-30s he became a charter member of the American Neurological Association and was appointed professor of diseases of the nervous system at Albany Medical College. His health then rapidly deteriorated, leading to his early death at age 37 of an unclear neurologic disorder. His career intersected with those of other notables in late-nineteenth-century American neurology, including John P. Gray, William A. Hammond, Edward Constant Séguin, and Edward Charles Spitzka.