Author: Anne Buckingham Young Publisher: Crash Course Book, 2025
BOOK REVIEW: Disorderly Movements
Author: Anne Buckingham Young Publisher: Crash Course Book, 2025
Review by Vasudeva Iyer, MD
Every December I look forward to a small version of Jolabokaflod( the Icelandic tradition of“ Christmas book flood”) to read the most interesting of the books that came as holiday gifts to nurture my bibliophilia. The one book that attracted my attention this year was Disorderly Movements: A Neurologist’ s Adventures in the Lab and Life. The gift came from a physician who as a medical student rotated in neurology while I was the attending physician; it was gratifying to see his inscription:“ I became a neurologist thanks to your teaching. I am sure you will enjoy reading this great book.”
The book was authored by Dr. Ann Young, retired professor and chief of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital( MGH). It recounts her life as a youngster, medical student, neurology resident and her long and trailblazing career as a neurologist and the first female chief of neurology at MGH. It took me two weekends to finish reading as it is comprised of 23 chapters and 350 pages. The forward by Dr. Alice Flaherty from MGH( according to her, MGH stands for“ Man’ s Greatest Hospital”) gives great insight into the fascinating persona of Dr. Young. The prologue, composed by the author herself, describes the most devastating incident in her life: the untimely demise of her beloved husband, Dr. Jack Penney( also a neurologist at MGH) from a heart attack at home, her desperate attempt to resuscitate him and the emotional crisis that she went through after his death.
The first chapter deals with her childhood, growing up in Winnetka, Illinois, two blocks from Lake Michigan. She states:“ Every grade I was switched to a new class because I was a troublemaker. I talked too much in class, passed notes, kicked kids under the chair and started fights at recess.” She was very active in outdoor sports and enjoyed skiing and
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