Marshall Hall has been referred to as the Father of Modern Neurology due to his discovery of the physiology of reflex function. He was born in England in 1790 to Robert Hall, a successful cotton spinner and inventive chemist who was the first to use chlorine for bleaching fabrics. At the early age of 14, Hall completed his general education from Nottingham Academy, and began his studies of chemistry and anatomy at Newark. In 1812, after three years at the Edinburgh University Medical School, Hall graduated Doctor of Medicine with distinction. As a talented young physician, he was appointed to the revered post of resident medical officer at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for two years. In 1814, Hall left Edinburgh for a year to visit medical schools in Paris, Berlin, and Göttingen a standard sabbatical trip taken at this time referred to as the Continental tour.

After his educational sabbatical...