Graziano Amy B, Pech Anja, Hou Craig, Johnson Julene K
Division of Music History, Conservatory of Music, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.
J Hist Neurosci. 2012 Jan;21(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/0964704X.2010.533092.
Hermann Oppenheim was influential in many areas of neurology, but his ideas about music are relatively unknown. In 1888, he published a paper that outlined how the assessment of music skills in patients with aphasia could lead to a better understanding of aphasia and language. Oppenheim conducted the first comprehensive music assessment as part of a neurologic examination and presented the first case series of music in aphasia. His paper was widely cited and had significant influence over the next 30 years. Although largely unrecognized as such, Oppenheim was an important historical figure in the study of music and neurology.