Denny-Brown, Boston City Hospital, and the history of American neurology.

Harvard University's Neurological Unit at Boston City Hospital (BCH) became the premier center for neurological training in the United States during the middle part of the 20th century. During part of this period (1939-1967), it was directed by Derek Denny-Brown, who had been recruited from England by Harvard president James Conant. The training program that Denny-Brown initiated at BCH emphasized neurology as a medical specialty, independent of psychiatry and neurosurgery. This program, which reflected Denny-Brown's British training, was remarkably effective and served as a model for rest of the country.