Alf Brodal's stroke in 1972: A brilliant self-report by a neuroanatomy professor

Abstract

Alf Brodal (1910-1988) was a professor of anatomy at the University of Oslo, Norway, and the author of almost 200 articles and medical textbooks including Neurological Anatomy in Relation to Clinical Neurology. He suffered a right hemisphere embolic stroke during a lecture trip abroad in April 1972. In the following year, he described his own clinical picture and the recovery process in an article published in Brain, making insightful observations based on his vast neuroanatomical knowledge. His comments and analyses remain largely valid after 50 years.

Keywords: 20(th) Cent. Histories (Medicine); Cerebral embolism; Clinical skills; Cognitive function; Neuroanatomy; Right cerebral hemisphere.