The images are part of a recently uncovered catalogue of thousands from a leading neurosurgeon
VIEW GALLERY
Brain surgery has come a long way in the last two centuries, as these images show.
Some of the earliest patients of the medical procedures were photographed from the early 1900s - and now the images have been revealed by Yale University.
The
haunting images were discovered in a university basement alongside
shelves of brains in formaldehyde which have bewitched medical students
visiting the campus' Harkness Dormitory.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Past Pictures: These early brain surgery patients were operated on by Dr Harvey Cushing between 1900 and 1930
For 20 years students have been sneaking down to the basement
and signing a poster as members of the secret 'Brain Society' in the
room.
Although the brains themselves hold interest for those
studying the physiology of the human brain, a collection of thousands of
black-and-white photographs offer a stark insight into early surgeries
for all of us.
The source of the collections is Dr Harvey Cushing, a pioneer in the world of neurosurgery who worked from 1899 until 1932.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Medical Marvel: Dr Harvey Cushing was a pioneer in the world of neurosurgery
Commonly known as the father of modern neurological surgery,
his images have only in this past year been digitised and are now able
to be shared with the public.
The Cushing Tumor Registry arrived
with the doctor at Yale in 1934, at the time reportedly holding 2,200
case studies including brain specimens, tumor specimens and 15,000 photo
negatives, both on film and glass plate.
Now the images are coming to light, but the identity of most of the patients is not known.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Chilling Stills: The haunting images show people at various stages of treatment
“They just keep revealing themselves,” Terry Dagradi, Cushing Center Coordinator told Atlas Obscura.
“They
are amazing not because they were shot to be amazing. They were shot to
be documentary, shot as the history of neuroscience was being born.”
A famous brain in the collection belonged to a physician who was friends with Theodore Roosevelt, Major General Leonard Wood.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Stark Shots: The black and white photographs show the patients at their most vulnerable
A former governor of Cuba and the Philippines, following
seizures in his left leg, Cushing removed a large benign meningioma
tumour from his brain in 1910.
Following the groundbreaking
operation the major resumed his career, which included standing as a
candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1920
This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.
Haunting pictures show brain surgery patients from the early 1900s
27/05/2015
The images are part of a recently uncovered catalogue of thousands from a leading neurosurgeon
VIEW GALLERY
Brain surgery has come a long way in the last two centuries, as these images show.
Some of the earliest patients of the medical procedures were photographed from the early 1900s - and now the images have been revealed by Yale University.
The
haunting images were discovered in a university basement alongside
shelves of brains in formaldehyde which have bewitched medical students
visiting the campus' Harkness Dormitory.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Past Pictures: These early brain surgery patients were operated on by Dr Harvey Cushing between 1900 and 1930
For 20 years students have been sneaking down to the basement
and signing a poster as members of the secret 'Brain Society' in the
room.
Although the brains themselves hold interest for those
studying the physiology of the human brain, a collection of thousands of
black-and-white photographs offer a stark insight into early surgeries
for all of us.
The source of the collections is Dr Harvey Cushing, a pioneer in the world of neurosurgery who worked from 1899 until 1932.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Medical Marvel: Dr Harvey Cushing was a pioneer in the world of neurosurgery
Commonly known as the father of modern neurological surgery,
his images have only in this past year been digitised and are now able
to be shared with the public.
The Cushing Tumor Registry arrived
with the doctor at Yale in 1934, at the time reportedly holding 2,200
case studies including brain specimens, tumor specimens and 15,000 photo
negatives, both on film and glass plate.
Now the images are coming to light, but the identity of most of the patients is not known.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Chilling Stills: The haunting images show people at various stages of treatment
“They just keep revealing themselves,” Terry Dagradi, Cushing Center Coordinator told Atlas Obscura.
“They
are amazing not because they were shot to be amazing. They were shot to
be documentary, shot as the history of neuroscience was being born.”
A famous brain in the collection belonged to a physician who was friends with Theodore Roosevelt, Major General Leonard Wood.
Cushing Tumor Registry / Whitney Medical Library / Yale University
Stark Shots: The black and white photographs show the patients at their most vulnerable
A former governor of Cuba and the Philippines, following
seizures in his left leg, Cushing removed a large benign meningioma
tumour from his brain in 1910.
Following the groundbreaking
operation the major resumed his career, which included standing as a
candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1920
0 comments:
Post a Comment