Oregon Health & Science University, Historical Collections & Archives
Casey Bush collection on Robert S. Dow
Dow, Robert Stone, 1908-
2008-022
1.05 linear feet
3 document boxes
1933-1993
Dr. Robert S. Dow established the first EEG laboratory in the Pacific Northwest and the first neurology practice in Oregon. He served as the Head of the Department of Neurology at Good Samaritan Hospital where he developed a treatment for epilepsy through electrical stimulation to the cerebellum. This collection was assembled by Casey Bush during the course of his research into writing Dow's biography. Highlights include Dow's notes and writings on the history of medical education and neurological research, as well as his presentation on the rare neurodegenerative disorder, kuru, and his experimental research on the relationship between cobalt, epilepsy, and the cerebellum.
English
.
Dr. Robert Stone Dow was born in 1908 in Wray, Colorado and was raised in Newberg and McMinnville, OR. After graduating from Linfield College, Dow went on to earn his M.D., Masters, and Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Oregon Medical School. It was here on the recommendation of Dr. James McNab that he met his mentor, Dr. Olof Larsell who instilled in him a passion for the innermost workings of the cerebellum. In 1939, after his post-graduate work at Yale, in Belgium with Frederic Brenner, at the London Queen's Hospital, and at the Rockefeller Institute in Manhattan, Dow returned to Portland to teach anatomy and clinical neurology. He established the first EEG laboratory in the Pacific Northwest in 1943 and, in 1946, he established the first neurology practice in Oregon.
In 1953, Dow travelled to Italy to work with Dr. Giuseppe Moruzzi on the book,
The Physiology and Pathology of the Cerebellum. Returning to Oregon after its publication in 1958, he convinced Good Samaritan Hospital to establish a laboratory of neurophysiology, which was renamed to the "R. S. Dow Neurological Sciences Institute" in 1988. It was here, as the Head of the Department of Neurology, that Dow developed a treatment for epilepsy through electrical stimulation to the cerebellum. While not fully realized during his lifetime, a similar therapy was instituted after his death. Dow continued his work on the cerebellum for the next 30 years, conducting research into epilepsy, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and strokes, among other related conditions before passing away at the age of 87 in 1995.
Casey Bush is a poet, senior editor of
The Bear Deluxe Magazine, and the author of Robert Stone Dow's unpublished biography, Inside the Black Box: A Biography of Oregon Neuroscientist Robert Stone Dow. He writes on myriad subjects including literature, computers, medicine, and music. He is an avid chess enthusiast and was the chess correspondent for the Oregonian from 1987 to 1992, as well as having written the biography of Oregon chess grandmaster Arthur Drake.
This collection contains a variety of publications, presentations, correspondence, photographs, and biographical information relating to Oregon's first board-certified neurologist, Robert Stone Dow. The collection was assembled by Casey Bush, Dr. Dow's biographer, during the course of his research, and includes Bush's notes and related correspondence. Highlights include Dow's notes and writings on the history of medical education and neurological research in the Pacific Northwest, as well as his presentation on the rare neurodegenerative disorder, kuru, and his experimental research on the relationship between cobalt, epilepsy, and the cerebellum.
There are no restrictions on access. This collection is open to the public.
OHSU Historical Collections & Archives (HC&A) is the owner of the original materials and digitized images in our collections, however, the collection may contain materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials. Consult with HC&A to determine if we can provide permission for use.
Casey Bush collection on Robert S. Dow, Collection Number 2008-022, Oregon Health & Science University, Historical Collections & Archives
Robert Stone Dow papers, Collection Number 2008-003
Linfield College
Oregon
Neurology
Neurosciences
Epilepsy
Education
Medicine and Health
"A Medical History of Yamhill County" and associated correspondence; Letters of recommendation for Bernard Cohen
1966, 1972, undated
1
1
"An Outline of the History of Medical Education in the Pacific Northwest": Presentation and draft
1936
1
2
Article, book chapter, and abstract reprints
1933, 1938, 1950, 1960-1963, 1966, 1969, 1976, undated
1
3
Biographical information and photographs of Dr. James Arthur Macnab
1990, undated
1
4
Biographical information, photographs, articles, curriculum vitae, bibliography, chronology, and memorial ephemera of Dr. Olof Larsell
1945, 1946, 1964, 1972, undated
1
5
Biography rejection letters and correspondence; sympathy letter and "Thank you" card concerning Willeta Dow's death
1992-1993
1
6
Cerebellar stimulation: Statements, remarks, articles, and proposal
1973-1975, 1988, undated
1
7
Cerebellum conferences: Programs and associated correspondence
1965-1976
1
8
Chronology of Dr. Robert Dow
undated
1
9
Correspondence and assorted symposium programs
1963-1979, 1983, undated
1
10
Correspondence with and talk by Dr. Noble Wiley Jones
1969, undated
1
11
Correspondence with Dr. Irving Cooper
1977
1
12
Curriculum vitae, abstracts, and symposium program of Dr. Neil H. Charness; biography and abstract of Dr. Guy C. Van Orden
1988, 1989, undated
1
13
Curriculum vitae of Dr. Robert Dow
1989
1
14
Diary excerpts and photographs of Dr. John F. Fulton
1990-1991
1
15
"Experimental Cobalt Epilepsy and the Cerebellum" presentation
undated
1
16
Family letters, genealogical information, and family tree of Dr. Robert Dow
1989, undated
1
17
Good Samaritan and University of Oregon Medical School residency program: A "Modus Operandi" statement, instruction manual, and associated correspondence
1976-1977
1
18
Graduation ovation
undated
1
19
Grand rounds presentation
1987
1
20
Histories of neurological research at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center
1977, 1982, 1992, undated
2
1
"Inside the Black Box: A Biography of Oregon Neuroscientist Robert Stone Dow"
undated
2
2
Interview with Robert Dow, by Neal Barmack, Good Samaritan Hospital
1991
English.
2008-022
2018.06.05
Larsell symposium remarks and associated correspondence; Dow biographical sketch
1972, undated
2
3
List of Robert Dow's colleagues and contemporaries
undated
2
4
"Medical Profession": Notes
undated
2
5
Meeting minutes and research grant
1960, 1968
2
6
Memoriam of Edgar Adrian
1980
2
7
Memoriam of Frederic Bremer
1963 January
2
8
Newspaper and journal articles, American Neurological Association member listings and by-laws, and OHSU distinguished scientists profiles
1962, 1968-1971, 1973-1974, 1988-1992
2
9
Notes and newspaper articles (1916) from Wray, Colorado
undated
2
10
Photographs
undated
2
11
Preliminary and final reports of the Commission for Relief in Belgium's American Fellows in Belgium program
1937-1938
2
12
Presentation on kuru
undated
2
13
Presentations
1973 January-1974 November
2
14
Report on medical education and clinical faculty at the University of Oregon Medical School, assorted curricula vitae, and National Institute of Neurology program
1956, 1960, 1974, undated
2
15
Robert Dow's University of Oregon doctoral thesis: "The Fiber Connections of the Posterior Parts of the Cerebellum"
undated
English.
3
1
Twenty third International Congress of the Physiological Sciences: Information booklets and associated correspondence
1965 April-1967 July
2
16
VHS and DVD of interview with Dr. Robert Dow
1991, undated
3
2
Video tape narrative
undated
3
3