International neurology meeting in 1929.

摘要

I read with interest the well-documented article on Henschen and his attempts to organize an international neurology meeting in 1929 (Holdorff, 2011). One cannot help feeling sad and perhaps a little puzzled by the futile efforts of this well-known neurologist who, even though he was feeling old, sick, and tired, spared no effort in his struggle to convene such a meeting.What were the reasons for his dramatic failure? One might be tempted to blame problems with communication, but that is almost certainly not the case. In those pre-electronic years, mail worked well (probably better than today!) and telegrams provided almost instant communication, on the condition of course that the recipient cared to respond quickly. There was probably a combination of a rather too short and single-handed preparation time and above all what seems to have been in many cases a parochial lack of international spirit. Nowadays, we feel more inclined to exchange ideas with our colleagues from other countries. Furthermore, today's meetings are often recurrent and/or planned several years before they take place. They almost always require the help of a professional organization, especially if they involve more than one society or discipline.