Frederic A. Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Frederic Andrews Gibbs was an American neurologist
who was a pioneer in the use of electroencephalography
(EEG) for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy
.
Gibbs graduated from Yale
and Johns Hopkins
in 1929. He was offered a fellowship in neuropathology
by Stanley Cobb
, of Harvard Medical School
. He studied epilepsy
in the same laboratory as William G. Lennox
and Erna Leonhardt.
Erna Leonhardt was Lennox's technical co-worker and had come to Boston as an immigrant from Germany. She married Gibbs in 1930 and they formed a research team that would last a lifetime, publishing papers together over the next fifty-odd years.
The electroencephalograph was primitive in the early 1930s, having only one channel. In 1935, Gibbs asked Albert Grass (an MIT
graduate) to build a 3-channel EEG. Grass built the machine in his father's basement with the help of his brother. In the same year, Erna and Frederic Gibbs travelled to Europe to attend a conference and visit Hans Berger
, the inventor of the EEG.
In 1944, they moved to University of Illinois School of Medicine, and Frederic Gibbs was promoted to professor in the epilepsy clinic.
The Gibbs published the book "Atlas of electroencephalography" in 1941, with a second edition in 1951. Their book valued the subjective and experienced eye of an electroencephalographer over objective mechanical or mathematical analysis.
Frederic Gibbs was jointly (with William Lennox) awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
in 1951.
Erna Gibbs died in 1987.
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
who was a pioneer in the use of electroencephalography
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
(EEG) for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
.
Gibbs graduated from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1929. He was offered a fellowship in neuropathology
Neuropathology
Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole autopsy brains. Neuropathology is a subspecialty of anatomic pathology, neurology, and neurosurgery...
by Stanley Cobb
Stanley Cobb
-External links:* can be found at The Center for the History of Medicine at the Countway Library, Harvard Medical School....
, of Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. He studied epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
in the same laboratory as William G. Lennox
William G. Lennox
William Gordon Lennox was an American neurologist who was a pioneer in the use of electroencephalography for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.-Biography:...
and Erna Leonhardt.
Erna Leonhardt was Lennox's technical co-worker and had come to Boston as an immigrant from Germany. She married Gibbs in 1930 and they formed a research team that would last a lifetime, publishing papers together over the next fifty-odd years.
The electroencephalograph was primitive in the early 1930s, having only one channel. In 1935, Gibbs asked Albert Grass (an MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
graduate) to build a 3-channel EEG. Grass built the machine in his father's basement with the help of his brother. In the same year, Erna and Frederic Gibbs travelled to Europe to attend a conference and visit Hans Berger
Hans Berger
Hans Berger was born in Neuses near Coburg, Bavaria, Germany. He is best known as the first to record human electroencephalograms in 1924, for which he invented the electroencephalogram , and the discoverer of the alpha wave rhythm known as "Berger's wave".- Biography :After attending...
, the inventor of the EEG.
In 1944, they moved to University of Illinois School of Medicine, and Frederic Gibbs was promoted to professor in the epilepsy clinic.
The Gibbs published the book "Atlas of electroencephalography" in 1941, with a second edition in 1951. Their book valued the subjective and experienced eye of an electroencephalographer over objective mechanical or mathematical analysis.
Frederic Gibbs was jointly (with William Lennox) awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is awarded by the Lasker Foundation for the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of disease. The award was renamed in 2008 in honor of Michael E. DeBakey...
in 1951.
Erna Gibbs died in 1987.