WILDER PENFIELD MD--PhD THE ULTIMATE BRAIN SURGEON

Doctor Penfield is always referred to as a Canadian, but in fact he was born in Spokane Washington in 1891. His early years, until his early twenties, were spent in various states where he interned at Johns Hopkins and became a Rhodes scholar as well. Besides being a talented surgeon he was also quite a footbal player.

He left the U.S. because of a wonderful opportunity in Canada and a chance to find happiness in probing the mysteries of our physical minds. His early interest in the brain was spurred by his sister who suffered from epileptic siezures since childhood. He pioneered the technique, in the late 1920's, of awake-surgery where the patient is sitting in a frame and able to talk and relate to the doctor while he probes through the skull and inside the brain. He had some success with her and removed part of the tumor she had. However this experience made him obsess with further research.

He founded the Montreal Neurological Institute and over the next 30+ years he conducted hundreds, if not thousands, of operations on and inside the brain.
He specialized also in the new science of brain chemistry and mapping the brain’s segments. He did most of this on awake patients, of course.

His work, during his life, has led to amazing developments in understanding this all- important part of our body. How excited he would have been if he could be here today to see the generations of specialists that have been spawned by his research and teaching. His physician grandfather would also be astonished as well.
Wilder Penfield, the world owes you a debt we can never imagine repaying.