Neuropathology, now established as a separate discipline, is an interdisciplinary field of medicine comprising pathology, neurology and psychiatry. It was born in a geographically well-defined area: Italy, Spain, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. This study provides a brief overview of the history of this new discipline from its infancy, by presenting events, personalities as its first practitioners and pioneering researchers. Kulcsszavak: történeti áttekintés, neuropatológia, szövettan, úttörő kutatók, Schaffer Károly