Cécile Vogt-Mugnier | |
---|---|
Born |
Annecy, France |
27 March 1875
Died | 4 May 1962 Cambridge, England |
(aged 87)
Nationality | French |
Fields | Neuroscience |
Institutions |
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, now the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, University of Berlin |
Alma mater | Bicêtre Hospital |
Doctoral advisor | Pierre Marie |
Known for | Neuroanatomy of the thalamus |
Notable awards |
Election to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, National Prize of East Germany |
Spouse | Oskar Vogt |
Children |
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, now the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research,
Election to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina,
Cécile Vogt-Mugnier (27 March 1875 – 4 May 1962) was a French neurologist from Haute-Savoie. She and her husband Oskar Vogt are known for their extensive cytoarchetectonic studies on the brain.
Vogt-Mugnier obtained her medical doctorate in Paris in 1900 and studied under Pierre Marie at the Bicêtre Hospital. At the time, women only made up 6% of those receiving medical doctorates, even though it had been thirty years since women were first admitted to medical studies. Vogt-Mugnier and her husband's findings on myelinogenesis led to her dissertation work on the fiber systems in the cat cerebral cortex (Étude sur la myelination of hémishères cérébraux) and the beginning of their research in architectonics. In Berlin, Vogt-Mugnier was awarded her medical license on January 16, 1920. Because of her scientific achievements and medical experience, she was not required to sit examinations or undergo the year of practical training.
Despite her accomplishments, Vogt-Mugnier's own career and recognition remained minimal. It was only between the years 1919 and 1937 that she held a formal, paid position as a scientist at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. Her position as department head corresponded to that of an extraordinary professor. For most of her life, however, she worked without compensation, and lived on her husband’s earnings.
Vogt-Mugnier and her husband's main interest was the identification and characterization of distinct regions in the neocortex by both functional and structural criteria. The Vogts were attempting to precisely locate the regions in the cerebral cortex that correlate with specific brain functions. This also motivated their experimental work on electrostimulation of the cortices in 150 monkeys. In this endeavor, they collaborated with Korbinian Brodmann to map areas of the cortex and the thalamus.