author
Joseph Collins
1866–1950
A pioneering American neurologist who also wrote for general readers, he helped shape early modern brain medicine while explaining nervous disorders in clear, approachable language. His career joined medical leadership, teaching, and a steady stream of books and essays.
3 Audiobooks
Idling in Italy: Studies of literature and of life
by Joseph Collins
About the author
Born in Brookfield, Connecticut, in 1866, Joseph Collins trained at New York University, earning his M.D. in 1888. After beginning in private practice, he moved into neurology and became a professor at the New York Post-Graduate Medical School.
Collins was one of the founders of the Neurological Institute of New York, an important early center devoted to neurological disorders. Alongside his clinical and teaching work, he became known as a prolific writer who published both medical works and books for wider audiences.
That mix of specialist knowledge and public-facing writing makes him an especially interesting figure today. He belonged to the first generation of American physicians helping establish neurology as a distinct field, and he also had a gift for bringing complicated ideas about the mind and nervous system to ordinary readers.