In what Dr. McHenry himself describes as an "aeroplane flight" over the history of neurology, he presents a rapid survey of neurology from the Edwin Smith surgical papyrus up to the early 20th century. He has modeled the book on Garrison's History of Neurology but subjected this to a marked revision. The first three chapters, covering the origins, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and the 17th century, are the primary contributions of Garrison. The next three chapters, dealing with the 18th century and the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system in the 19th century, are Garrison's to a much lesser extent, while the last five chapters, dealing with chemistry and pathology of the 19th century, clinical neurology, neurological examination and neurological diseases, are all by Dr. McHenry.
The book must be judged by the author's purpose. He is not writing for historians, but intends to present a "broad survey