A GLIMPSE OF OUR PAST

Heinrich Obersteiner (1847–1921) was amongst the most influential neuro-scientists in the 19th century. Born into a family of physicians, he gained earlyexposure to medicine, and as a medical student, he focused much of hisresearch in neuroanatomy, eventually becoming a professor of neuroanatomyat the University of Vienna. Throughout his academic career, he focused greatlyon neuropathology, and incorporated much of his research into his textbook,“Introduction to the Study of the Structure of the Central Nervous Organs inHealth and Disease,” which was considered the foremost reference text of neu-rology for many generations of scholars. The culmination of his contributions tothe neurological world can be seen as the Neurological Institute of Vienna,which he founded in 1882. Scholars from all over the world sought out hisexpertize and tutelage. While he was the director of the Institute, over 500articles were published within the Obersteiner-Arbeiten. Much of this workhelped set the foundation for the eventual development of neurology as a med-ical discipline. A review of his life will help us better understand the legacyHeinrich Obersteiner left in the field of neurology. Clin. Anat. 28:5–11,2015.