Grigory Ivanovich Rossolimo

Grigory Ivanovich Rossolimo (Russian: Григо́рий Ива́нович Россоли́мо) (December 17 [O.S. December 5] 1860 – September 1928) was a Russian neurologist who was a native of Odessa. (He was of Greek origin; his grandfather had gone sailing from Cefalonia as a young man, been shipwrecked, and washed up near Odessa, where he remained.) He specialized in the field of child neuropsychology.

In 1884 he graduated from the University of Moscow, and subsequently worked under Aleksei Kozhevnikov (1836-1902) at the clinic of neurological diseases. He earned his medical doctorate in 1887, and in 1890 became head of the department of neurology at the clinic of Aleksei Alekseevich Ostroumov (1844-1908).

In 1911, along with other academic personnel at the University of Moscow, he resigned in protest against reactionary reforms installed by the minister of education. Afterwards, he opened his own institute of neurology and child psychology. In 1917 he returned to the university, and attained the chair of neuropathology. In this position, he established a department for child psycho-neurology and "defectology".

Rossolimo is remembered for his work in experimental psychology, research that included the development of psychological profiles. A particular study of his involved grouping children according to psycho-physiological characteristics and anomalies.

He was co-founder of the "Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry", a publication named in honor of Sergei Sergeievich Korsakoff (1853-1900).

• Rossolimo's reflex: Exaggerated flexion of the toes in response to percussion of the plantar surface of the second to fifth toes, and is indicative of lesions of the pyramidal tract.

Rossolimo is mentioned in Mikhail Bulgakov's story, "The Fateful Eggs".

Rossolimo was a contemporary and friend of the author Anton Chekhov, who was also a physician by training (Satran, 2005b). Chekhov's letters to Rossolimo can be found in "A life in letters" (Chekhov, A., 2004).