THE HISTORY OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY AT NORTHWESTERN-UNIVERSITY

THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM in neurological surgery at Northwestern Universi ty was founded in 1924 by Loyal Davis and was formally accredited by t he American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1946. Alien Kanavel, ment or to Davis, was one of the original members of the Society of Neurolo gical Surgeons. Five individuals have served as chief of neurosurgery at Northwestern: Davis, Paul Bucy, Anthony Raimondi, Albert Butler, an d H. Hunt Batjer. Davis was the first surgeon west of the Appalachians to limit his work to neurosurgery. Between 1954 and 1963, there were two independent neurosurgery residency programs at Northwestern, one h eaded by Davis and the other by Bucy. A master surgeon and superb teac her, Bucy trained more than 65 residents and became one of the greates t authors and leaders in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical trai ning at Northwestern has traditionally emphasized excellence of patien t care, strong resident and student teaching, and basic science resear ch. Through the years, a major strength of the program has been its cl inical volume and diversity. Four hospitals have played major roles in the program: Northwestern Memorial Hospital (created by the merger of Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital and Passavant Memorial Hospital), Ch ildren's Memorial Hospital, Evanston Hospital, and the Veterans Admini stration Lakeside Hospital. This article traces the development of neu rological surgery at Northwestern, with an emphasis on its historical background and the contributions of Kanavel, Davis, and Bucy. The pres ent philosophy and structure of the training program and the program's future under the direction of Batjer are also described.