Solomon Carter Fuller, M.D. (1872-1953): American Pioneer in Alzheimer?s Disease Research

Abstract

The appointment of Alois Alzheimer to Emil Kraepelin's clinic and laboratory at the Royal Psychiatric Hospital, University of Munich in 1903 offered new opportunities for clinical and pathological studies of the brain. At the opening of the facility in 1904, Alzheimer selected five foreign visiting students as his graduate research assistants, among whom was an American, Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller. A glimpse of Fuller's background as an African-American (born in Liberia) at the turn of the century, his continuing research after leaving Germany in 1906, and his critical view of the Alzheimer dementia entity are recounted. He was held in high esteem as a practicing neuropsychiatrist and teacher in the Boston area.

Recognizing African‐American contributions to neurology: The role of Solomon Carter Fuller (1872–1953) in Alzheimer's disease research

“…Dr Fuller's achievements were further celebrated in 1973 in a 1‐day conference at Boston University. The following year, the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center was established via Massachusetts legislation to provide outpatient psychiatric services and facilitate research and education 1 …”

“…Information regarding Dr Fuller's life and work in Germany is limited and may reflect the general air of invisibility and anonymity that research assistants worked within at the turn of the 20th century. 1 Further medico‐historical research is warranted to fill this gap in our knowledge of Fuller's life, not least because it covers a defining period in his career. Such information may shed light on Fuller's interactions with Alzheimer and his reception and treatment being an African‐American academic working in Germany.…”

“…Dr Fuller (figure 1) was born on August 11, 1872 in Monrovia, Liberia; his paternal grandfather had emigrated from the United States to Liberia upon buying his and his wife's freedom from slavery. His father, a coffee planter and government official, oversaw Fuller's education on the plantation during his formative years, although it was his maternal grandparents, both medical missionaries in Liberia, who were thought to have influenced Solomon's interest in medicine 1 …”

“…Dr Fuller's seminal piece came in 1912 when he published, in two parts, the first comprehensive review of Alzheimer's disease at the time. As well as reviewing 11 known cases and translating Alzheimer's original case in English for the first time, he also described the ninth recorded case of the disease 1,13–15 . Dr Fuller's patient was a 56‐year‐old man with a 2‐year history of memory impairment, receptive dysphasia, and apraxia.…”

Black knowledges matter: How the suppression of non‐white understandings of dementia harms us all and how we can combat it

“…Fuller taught pathology at Boston University and chaired the department of neurology for five years, yet he was never formally offered salaried employment or an official title and was instead paid a stipend until a junior white colleague was chosen to replace him and formally offered the chair position. Fuller retired, remarking: ‘With the sort of work that I have done, I might have gone farther and reached a higher plane had it not been for my color’ (cited in Kaplan & Henderson, 2000: 260). His life is a cautionary tale about the far‐reaching consequences that stem from the systemic silencing of black voices and promotion of white culture as absolute truth.…”