1860--neurology was there

The year 1860 was a beginning of social, political, and medical upheaval in the United States. The Civil War over states' rights, which would last for 4 years and change the political landscape of the United States forever, had its roots in that year. American neurology was conceived and gestated by the Civil War because of the collaboration between William A. Hammond (1828-1900) and Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914), who became the founders of American neurology. Thus, 1860 serves as a pivotal point from which to view the precursors of American neurology and the later war and postwar developments.