Victor Horsley
Victor Horsley
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.
- Written by a leading neurologist with a keen interest in the history of the discipline, the importance of Horsley's contributions are placed in the context of the medical knowledge of the time as well as the attitudes of society, enabling readers to grasp the immensity of his achievements
- Contains over historical images and much previously unpublished material from sources personally acquainted with Horsley
- The combined narrative of Horsley's medical and social achievements and his lively personal life will appeal to both professional and lay audiences with an interest in the foundation of neurology and the history of medicine
Reviews & endorsements
‘This book, which I could not put down and read in one sitting, brims with wonderful information and details that fully justify the subtitle - Sir Victor Horsley has a prodigious legacy. Aminoff’s multilayered book condensing a lifetime of troubles and triumphs is not only for neurosurgeons, but also for anyone interested in the evolution of the neurosciences.’ Eelco Wijdicks, The Lancet
‘This is a book that can be read as a history of medicine with surgical precision, but also as an enthralling narrative that could inspire and guide lives, particularly in a time of uncertainty like the present one.’ Alain Touwaide, Doody's Reviews
Product details
December 2023Paperback
9781009069991
220 pages
254 × 178 × 12 mm
0.424kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Early days
- 2. The other side of Gower streets
- 3. At the Brown
- 4. Dividing the indivisible: The localization of cortical functions
- 5. The making of a specialty
- 6. The grammar of neurosurgery: technical underpinnings
- 7. The neurosurgery of specific disorders
- 8. Measures of the man
- 9. The politics of protection
- 10. Not so trivial pursuits: the slide into politics
- 11. Antivivisectionist claims and clamor
- 12. Bitter tears: Horsley and the suffragist movement
- 13. Last orders: the temperance movement
- 14. Syphilis and the public health
- 15. A surgeon goes to war
- 16. Aftermaths and appraisals
- Appendix 1: Horsley's procedure for cranial surgery
- Appendix 2: Appointments, honors, and awards
- Appendix 3: Victor Horsley's professional publications
- Appendix 4: Sir Victor Horsley's correspondence with the times of London.
