Published in:
01-01-2016 | Pioneers in Neurology
Frederic Andrews Gibbs (1903–1992)
Published in: Journal of Neurology | Issue 1/2016
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Frederic (Frederick) Andrews Gibbs (Fig. 1) was one of the greatest clinical neuroscientists of the twentieth century. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Gibbs was born on February 9, 1903 [1]. He lost his father due to a pituitary tumor when he was 12 years old, an event that impressed him deeply and led him to pursue a career related to the study of nervous system disorders [2, 3]. Gibbs entered Yale University in 1921. As an undergraduate student, he considered a goal of becoming a researcher on the disorders of the nervous and mental systems. To help him with his decision, Gibbs wrote a letter to the famous American neurosurgeon, Harvey Williams Cushing (1869–1939), probably in 1924 or 1925, and asked his advice. In response, Cushing counseled Gibbs to pursue an MD degree, even though he did not aim to practice clinical medicine. Gibbs took Cushing’s advice to heart [1, 3]. He graduated from Yale University in 1925 and then received his M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1929 [3].
Fig. 1
From left to right Albert Grass (a man who built the first 3-channel electroencephalography device at the Harvard Medical School [10]), Frederic Gibbs, Ellen Grass, Robert Morison, and Erna Gibbs. This photo was taken at the third International Congress of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology held in Boston from August 17–21, 1953 (reproduced with permission from Dr. Zottoli [10])
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