A History of Neurological Surgery.

Abstract

If one accepts the definition of history as a relation of incidents or a written narrative constituting a continuous methodical record in order of time, this collection of essays, written by young men in training to become neurosurgeons, may be regarded as a history of neurological surgery. On the other hand, if one holds with Emerson that "there is properly no history, only biography," then it would appear that these young men, no matter how earnest and studious, could not be qualified to write a history of the development of this productive specialty of surgery. The personalities, the motivations, and the jealousies that influenced the refinements in technique; the discovery of new diagnostic methods; the older procedures that continue to have their indications, contrary to disparaging remarks concerning them and those who proposed them—all of these should be a part of the history of neurosurgery. However, only the older neurosurgeons