History

William James Herdman
W. J. Herdman, M.D., L.L.D.

The origins of neuroscience research at the University of Michigan can be traced back to 1888, when W. J. Herdman was appointed Professor of Practical Anatomy and Diseases of the Nervous System, a title that was soon amended to Professor of Diseases of the Mind and Nervous System. In 1906, separate departments of Psychiatry and Neurology were established within the Medical School. The next half-century was marked by the advances in the emerging discipline of neuropathology and the use of electroencephalography (EEG).