A Brief History of the Development of Neurology in Croatia during the Second Half of the 20th Century: A Panorama of Centers and Protagonists

Abstract

Starting from the general history of neurology as a medical discipline, this paper provides an overview analysis of the influence of individuals and institutions important for the beginnings of Croatian neurology up to the Second World War, as well as for the development of neurology in Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Rijeka, and other Croatian centers in the second half of the twentieth century. It concludes with the assessment that the study of the biographies of its protagonists reveals an extraordinary breadth of interests and intellectual horizons, such that Croatian neurologists have at times founded and promoted entirely new fields (for example, palliative care and medical ethics).