| Alzheimer's disease was originally named
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| | with patients who have experienced severe
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| after Dr. Aloysius "Alois" Alzheimer, who
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| | dementia. Dr. Alzheimer identified
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| was a German doctor that specialized in
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| | characteristics such as a thinning
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| psychiatry and neuropathology. The term
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| | cerebral cortex, peculiar clumps now
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| "Alzheimer's disease" was first coined in
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| | called amyloid plaques and entangled
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| a book written by Dr. Emil Kraepelin, an
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| | bundles of fibers that came to be known
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| accomplished German psychiatrist and said
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| | as neurofibrillary tangles. Such changes
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| mentor of Dr. Alzheimer.
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| | in the brain had previously been
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| Dr. Alzheimer was born in Markbreit am
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| | observed, and a common speculation is
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| Main Germany on June 14, 1864, and went
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| | that Dr. Alzheimer did not make a clear
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| on to become a doctor after earning his
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| | attempt to classify his findings as a new
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| degree from Würzburg University. The
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| | disease. However, a speech on his
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| case that eventually led to the
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| | reported findings in 1906 is believed by
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| nomenclature for the disease we now know
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| | many to be the first collective
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| as Alzheimer's disease began with a woman
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| | presentation linking the symptoms of
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| named Frau Auguste D, a 51 year old
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| | presenile dementia with the physical
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| patient who was admitted to the Municipal
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| | changes that had taken place in a
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| Mental Asylum, the hospital where Dr.
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| | patient's brain.
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| Alzheimer was a physician. The patient
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| | Nonetheless, in Handbook of Psychiatry
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| exhibited worsening behavioral and
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| | (eighth edition), Dr. Kraepelin commented
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| cognitive symptoms such as short term
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| | on the findings from the autopsy and
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| memory loss, auditory hallucinations,
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| | included use of the phrase "Alzheimer's
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| paranoia and aggressiveness. Dr.
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| | disease" in his description. In 1911, Dr.
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| Alzheimer began to study the patient. At
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| | Alzheimer used the term again in a paper.
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| the time of the patient's death in 1906,
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| | Though many argue to this day that Dr.
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| Dr. Alzheimer had begun working at the
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| | Alzheimer was not responsible for the
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| Anatomical Laboratory of the Royal
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| | discovery of the disease, the term
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| Psychiatric Clinic at a university in
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| | "Alzheimer's disease" caught on. Within a
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| Munich, where he worked with Dr. Emil
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| | few years, the name Alzheimer's disease
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| Kraepelin. After her death, the patient's
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| | was well known and began to be used by
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| brain and records were sent to the clinic
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| | physicians for diagnosis.
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| for further research.
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| | Other characteristics have since been
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| While Dr. Alzheimer's observations were
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| | discovered that help physicians identify
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| not classified as new discoveries in the
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| | likely cases of Alzheimer's disease,
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| medical field, he identified in the
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| | though there are no definite means of
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| woman's brain characteristics associated
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| | diagnosing the disease until after death.
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