"Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) is traditionally considered the first to have described the features of, and the brain pathology underlying, impaired auditory comprehension and related symptoms. Although Wernicke (1874) clearly and repeatedly indicates his indebtedness to Theodor von Meynert (1833-1892). this is usually understood as an acknowledgment that Meynert taught Wernicke neuroanatomy (Eggert, 1977); Wernicke′s own words in part support this interpretation. A more sophisticated historical analysis notes that, prior to Wernicke, both Johann Schmidt in 1871 and Charlton Bastian in 1869 had described the concept of receptive aphasia, but neither had supported their analyses with autopsy evidence as did Wernicke, thus not dislodging Wernicke′s claim of priority. However, a virtually unknown work by Theodor von Meynert, published in 1866, has recently been rediscovered by us ["Ein Fall von Sprachstörung, anatomisch begründet." Medizinische Jahrbücher. XII Band der Zeitschrift der K. K. Gesellleschaft der Ärzte in Wien, 22.Jahr. Pp. 152-189]. In this paper Meynert analyzes the anatomical basis for localizing the comprehension of language in the superior temporal gyros, he argues that lesions in this area should (by analogy to Broca′s earlier observations on language expression) cause impairments in language comprehension, and he presents a case of receptive aphasia with autopsy evidence of destruction of the superior temporal gyros in the left hemisphere. The patient′s aphasia was classic: impaired auditory comprehension, and fluent speech with paraphasias. It is clear that Meynert should be given historical credit for his work" (Whitaker, "Theodor Meynert's contirubtion to classical 19th century aphasia studies, " Brain and Language, 45 (1993) 560-571.)

Meynert noticed regional variations in the histological structure of different parts of the gray matter in the cerebral hemispheres. He is credited with beginning the study of cytoarchitecture. Meynert described the fountain decussation of the tegmental tract (“Meynert’s decussation”) and several other structures in the brain. Published in book form, 1868.

Meynert, Professor of Neurology at Vienna, made many contributions to the study of the cellular architecture of the brain, and is often considered the founder of cerebral cortex cytoarchitectonics. English translation, New York: G. P. Putnam, 1885. Digital facsimile of the 1884 edition from the Medical Heritage Library, Internet Archive, at this link.