Jules Joseph Dejerine (1849-1917) became renowned for his many contributions to neurology, including his anatomical and anatomo-functional studies, particularly those in the field of language and the peripheral nervous system. A disciple of Vulpian and a rival of Charcot, Dejerine progressed rapidly in the academic world, reaching the peak of his career in 1911, when he was appointed to the chair of Nervous System Diseases at the Salpêtrière Hospital after defeating Pierre Marie (1853-1940), one of the most distinguished pupils of Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893).

Background Percussion is an important part of the neurological examination and reflex hammers are necessary to obtain it properly. Objective We aimed to review the historical aspects of the main reflex hammers and to define the favorite one of Brazilian neurologists. Methods We searched original and review articles about historical aspects of the reflex hammers in Scielo and Pubmed and conducted an online survey to investigate the favorite reflex hammer of Brazilian neurologists. Results In the first part, we describe the major milestones in the creation of the reflex hammers. Following, we exhibit the results of the online survey: Babinski-Rabiner was the most voted. Conclusions The origins of the reflex hammers goes back long before their creation, from a basic clinical examination method: percussion. Since the description of deep tendon reflexes and the creation of percussion hammers, much has been improved in this technique. Among all the hammers surveyed, the Babinski-Rabiner was the chosen one by a significant portion of Brazilian neurologists.