Who is Dr. Silverman from Becoming a Doctor: A Journey of Initiation in Medical School and what is their importance?

Dr. Silverman is the name of a neurologist who treated a patient named Petey. He challenged him in math until Petey got frustrated and struck out at Silverman. It took three men to get Petey under control and calmed down again. Silverman was sympathetic to childhood hyperactivity, which conflicted with Konner's African experiences in anthropology. Dr. Silverman represented the cultural differences between American and African child-rearing. For example, African children ran free in the bush and raced from one activity to another. This behavior was normal in the jungle but would be unsettling to a teacher in an American classroom trying to maintain order. Attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity were treated with drugs in America to change this normally active childhood behavior that was done primarily for the teacher's benefit to maintain order in the classroom.