Sir Victor Horsley (1857–1916) was a brilliant and pioneering neurosurgeon who also shaped the direction of clinical medicine through his work with the British Medical Association, Medical Defence Union, and General Medical Council. Before the nervous system could be imaged, Horsley operated successfully on the brain and spinal cord, and performed palliative procedures on patients dying from brain tumours. Nevertheless, he became a social pariah due to his support for nationalised health insurance, child welfare and women's rights, amongst other causes. In this fascinating biography, leading neurologist Dr Michael J. Aminoff places Horsley's life and work in the context of the society in which he lived and explores his influence on the development of neurosurgery and social policies still in effect. The many underlying themes to the book include the interplay of science and politics, and the responsibility of physicians to themselves and for the welfare of society.

A fascinating biography of the world's pioneer neurosurgeon, his influence on the discipline and the social issues he championed fiercely.

A History of Neurosurgery is the first thorough book on the history of neurosurgery published since 1951. The book is organized around a specific historiographic framework that traces the advancement of the specialty. Included are chapters on ancient trepanation, Macewen's first use of the combined technologies of anesthesia, antisepsis and cortical localization in 1879 to plan and perform craniotomies, the emergence of Harvey Cushing's leadership, the evolution of modern neurosurgical techniques and technology and much more.

A comprehensive history of the National Hospital, Queen Square, and its Institute, placed within the context of British neurology.

Presents the leading personalities in the surgical field. Provides a biographical sketch of each of the surgeons, their contributions to surgery, and extracts of their writings. Covers the history of surgery from the time of the ancient Egyptians, to ancient China, India and Japan, to the Arabian peninsula, the Greeks, the Romans, the Middle ages, the 16th and 17th centuries, the 18th century and Lord Lister's contribution to antiseptic surgery and then the 20th century. The last period covers some major subdivisions of surgery such as hernia repair, abdominal surgery, surgery of the endocrine system, neurosurgery and thoracic surgery.

For later editions see under title "Alcohol and human life" by C.C. Weeks.

Neuroscience is one of the scientific fields where progress in the 20th century has been spectacular. With the coming of the new millennium, it is appropriate to look at some of the advances and the neurologists who helped to produce them. The original contributions in this volume reflect the background against which the rapid advances have taken place in the past 100 years. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: SIR CHARLES SHERRINGTON, O. M., P. R. S. (1857-1952) (87 KB). Contents: Sir Charles Sherrington OM, PRS (1857OCo1952) (W C Gibson); Henry Head (1861OCo1940) (C Gardner-Thorpe); The British Contribution to Aphasiology (K Poeck); The Concept of Hemispheric Lateralisation (J Stein); James Hinshelwood (1859OCo1919) and Developmental Dyslexia (W M H Behan); Wilfred Harris (1869OCo1960) (E Nieman); Sir Gordon Holmes (1876OCo1965) (W Penfield); Sir Gordon Holmes: A Personal Reminiscence (M Critchley); Gordon Holmes' Work on Sensation and His Association with Henry Head (R Henson); Looking and Seeing OCo Gordon Holmes' 1936 John Mallet Purser Lecture Revisited (C Kennard); Kinnier Wilson (1878OCo1937) and His Books (B Ashworth & E Jellinek); Movement Disorders (K B Bhattacharyya); Kernicterus (B Corner); The Watershed of Neurosurgery (J R Heron); Sir Victor Horsley (1857OCo1916) Revisited (J Lyons); Neurosurgery in the NineteenOCoTwenties and Thirties (B Lichterman); Neurolathyrism (D F Cohn & D Paleacu); From Treponemes to Prions: The Emergence of British Neuropathology (J Geddes); Mitochondrial Myopathies (H R Cock & A H V Schapira); British and American Neurologists Meet: London, 1927 (M Flye & J Toole); The Influence of British Neurology on Harvard Neurology and Vice Versa (H R Tyler). Readership: Neurologists and medical historians."