Ahmad A, Jagdhane N, Ademmer K, Choudhari K. Carl Wernicke of the Wernicke Area: A Historical Review.
World Neurosurg 2024;
185:225-233. [PMID:
38417618 DOI:
10.1016/j.wneu.2024.02.103]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
The Wernicke area, also known as Brodmann area 22, is located in the posterior segment of the superior temporal gyrus in the dominant hemisphere. Carl Wernicke, a German neurologist, described this area in 1874. The life story of Carl Wernicke, a 19th-century medical genius, remains an inspiration for all neuroscientists even a hundred years later. We outline Wernicke's life story and academic achievements in neurosurgery, neurology, and psychiatry. We explore his remarkable ability to turn his many setbacks into steps forward, his controversial foray into psychiatry, and his wide-ranging set of contributions, including his work on external ventricular drainage for hydrocephalus and encephalopathy; his description of the eponymous Wernicke area; and his field-defining work on aphasia. This historical review attempts to bring to life a seminal figure in the neurosciences, providing an insight into his visionary thought process.
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