Dr. Richard L. Heschl: A Name Known by Everyone, a Man Known by None

The Heschl gyrus, or transverse temporal gyrus, is the primary auditory center of the brain and remains the most recognized gyrus named after a specific individual. It was first described in detail and in its currently accepted form during Prof. Heschl's unremarkable lecture at the Gesellschaft der Ärzte in Wien (Society of Physicians in Vienna) in 1876. Prof. Heschl's contributions to science were primarily published through articles, conferences, and oral presentations rather than books, resulting in much of his work being overlooked. In addition to his neuroanatomical discovery, he was the first to define and name porencephaly and presented autopsy-based case series on hydrocephalus, cranial dysmorphism, early suture obliteration, craniosynostosis, and craniometry in the medical journals of his time. The aim of this manuscript is to examine the little-known biography of Prof. Richard L. Heschl, to highlight his contributions to neurological science, and to elucidate how the anterior transverse temporal gyrus came to be known as Heschl's gyrus.