Service, leadership, and education marked his contributions to neurology.
By Prof. Vladimir Hachinski and Prof. Raad Shakir
Incoming President Prof. Robert Daroff of the American Neurological Association, after receiving the gavel from his predecessor Prof. David Drachman in 1991. Photo courtesy of the archives of the ANA.
Prof. Robert Daroff’s gifts showed up early in his life. He was admitted to the University of Chicago at the age of 15 and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained a degree in American studies and a medical degree. He completed a residency in neurology at Yale University.
I first heard about him when I was a trainee in neurology, and he was part of a small group of gifted neuro-ophthalmologists at the University of Miami. Early in my career, I was elected to the Board of the American Neurological Association when he was president. At the first meeting, I was amazed that from a long list of candidates, so few were selected for membership. It made me wonder whether the committee was tired when they elected me for membership, given the high standards.
At the end of the process, I was astounded when Prof. Daroff suggested to the committee to commission pins for the members of the board, a distinguished senior neurologist dismissed the idea as being “elitist.” I spoke in the most respectful tone that I could muster, and said, “Sir, what would you call the process that we just went through? I believe, to paraphrase President Thomas Jefferson, ‘We must dream of an aristocracy of achievement arising out of a democracy of opportunity.’”
Prof. Daroff was immensely amused that the single Canadian on the board would quote an American president to try to persuade his American colleagues. We got our pins.
Prof. Daroff was proud of his front-line service in Vietnam, his contributions to the understanding of cerebral malaria, and his interview with General Vo Nguyen Giap, the successful North Vietnamese commander in chief. Bob asked him, “Who was the greatest military leaders in history: Alexander the Great, Napoleon, or Giap?” He responded, “Giap was not inferior.”
When I became chair of the Department of Neurological Sciences, I invited Prof. Daroff as a visiting professor. He gave a clear and compelling lecture and later discussed a complex neuro-ophthalmology case. He disposed of every red herring with incontestable logic until one possibility became glaringly obvious: He was right, of course.
His services to global neurology span many decades. He chaired the WFN finance committee beginning in 1993. With James Toole, he edited World Neurology in 1989. He previously chaired the Publication Committee in 1987. The development of the Journal of Neurological Sciences and World Neurology was guided by his advice and direction. The WFN is most grateful for his services. His last contribution was at the 2011 World Congress of Neurology in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Prof. Daroff will be remembered for his major contributions to neurology, education, and leadership, and for his warmth as a human being. •
Profs. Vladimir Hachinski and Raad Shakir are past presidents of the World Federation of Neurology.
This article also appears in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences and is simultaneously published here with permission.
