Abstract
This is an introduction to the rather ill-understood and variety of remedies of the disease that was labeled as the falling sickness in the second millennium, which is the initial long-held notion of what we now know as epileptic seizures. The disorder of epilepsy remained poorly understood in the nineteenth century. However, it was also in the latter part of the nineteenth century that we began to witness a gradual awareness of the cause of epilepsy and even an increasing appreciation that intractability of seizures might be managed surgically. This was carried into the twentieth century in which a remarkable global interest, understanding, and management of epilepsy accelerated throughout the century. Finally, a summary of the very important North American contribution to the surgical management of intractable epilepsy is noted.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alexander W. The treatment of epilepsy by ligature of the vertebral arteries. Brain. 1883;5:170–87.
Bailey P, Gibbs FA. The surgical treatment of psychomotor epilepsy. JAMA. 1951;145:365–70.
Bailey P, Green JR, Amador L, Gibbs FA. Treatment of psychomotor states by anterior temporal lobectomy. A report of progress. Res Publ Ass Nerv Ment Dis. 1935;31:341–6.
Bates JAV. The surgery of epilepsy. In: Williams D, editor. Modern trends in neurology, vol. 3. Washington: Butterworths; 1962. p. 125–37.
Billings JS. The surgical treatment of epilepsy. Cincinnati Lancet Obs. 1861;4:334–41.
Cushing H. A note upon the faradic stimulation of the postcentral gyrus in conscious patients. Brain. 1909;32:44–53.
Cutter IS. Benjamin W. Dudley and the surgical relief of traumatic epilepsy. Int Abstr Surg. 1930;50:189–94.
Dudley BW. Observations on injuries of the head. Transylvania J Med. 1828;1:9–40.
Feindel W. Electrical stimulation of the brain during surgery for epilepsy—historical highlights. Int Anesthesiol Clin. 1986;24:75–87.
Feindel W, Leblanc R, Nogueira DE, Almeida A. Epilepsy surgery: historical highlights 1909–2009. Epilepsia. 2009;50(S3):131–51.
Foerster O. Zur Pathogenese und Chirurgischen Behandlung der Epilepsia. Zentralbl Chir. 1925;52:531–49.
Foerster O. Zur operativen Behandlung der Epilspsie. Dtsch Z Nervenh. 1926;89:137–47.
Foerster O. Sur Pathogenese und chirurgischen Behandlung der Epilepsie. Zentralbl Chir. 1929a;52:531–49.
Foerster O. Beiträge zur Pathophysiologie der Sehbahn und der Schsphäre. J Psychol Neurol Lpz. 1929b;39:463–85.
Foerster O. Uber die bedeutung und reichweite des lokalisation-sprinzips im nervensystem. Verh Dtsch Ges Inn Med. 1934;46:117–211.
Foerster O. Sensible corticale Felder. In: Bumke O, Foerster O, editors. Handbuch der Neurologie, vol. 6. Berlin: Springer; 1936a. p. 1–448.
Foerster O. The motor cortex in man in the light of Hughlings Jackson’s doctrines. Brain. 1936b;59:135–59.
Foerster O, Altenburger H. Elektrobiologische vorgänge an der menschlichen hirnrinde. Dtsch Z Nervenheilkd. 1935;135:277–88.
Foerster O, Penfield W. The structural basis of traumatic epilepsy and results of radical operation. Brain. 1930;53:99–120.
Fox WL. Chapter 1. Neurological surgery before Walter E. Dandy: a brief introduction. In: Dandy of Johns Hopkins. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1984. p. 1–7.
Hermann BP, Stone JL. A historical review of the epilepsy surgery program at the University of Illinois medical center: the contributions of Bailey, Gibbs, and collaborators to the refinement of anterior temporal lobectomy. J Epilepsy. 1989;2:155–63.
Hitzig E. Hughlings Jackson and the cortical motor centres in the light of physiological research. Brain. 1900;23:544–81.
Horsley V. Brain-surgery. Br Med J. 1886;2:670–5.
Horsley V. Ten consecutive cases of operation upon the brain and cranial cavity to illustrate the details and safety of the method employed. Br Med J. 1887;1:863–5.
Krause F. Die operative behandlung der epilepsie. Med Klin Berlin. 1909;5:1418–22.
Krause F. Die Sehbahnen in chirurgischer Beziehung und die faradische Reizung des Sehzentrums. Klin Wschr. 1924;3:1260–5.
Krause F, Schum H. Die spezielle Chirugie der Gehirnkrankheiten. In: Kuttner H, editor. Neue Deutsche Chirugie, 3 Bände. II. Band. Die epileptischen Erkrankungen. Enke, Stuttgart; 1931;49a:482–6.
Lloyd JH, Deaver JB. A case of focal epilepsy successfully treated by trephining and excision of the motor centres. Am J Med Sci. 1888;96:477–87.
Meador KJ, Loring DW, Flanigin HF. History of epilepsy surgery. J Epilepsy. 1989;2:21–5.
Nancrede NB. The operative treatment of Jacksonian and focal epilepsy. Ann Surg. 1896;24:122–30.
O’Leary JL, Goldring S. Chapter 16. Role of neurological surgery in the treatment of epilepsy. In: Science and epilepsy: neuroscience gains in epilepsy research. New York: Raven; 1976. p. 227–50.
Olivier A. Epilepsy surgery at the MNI: from Archibald to the creation of the Shirley and Mark Rayport fellowship in surgery of epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2010;51 Suppl 1:97–100.
Patchell RA, Young AB, Tibbs PA. Benjamin Winslow Dudley and the surgical treatment of epilepsy. Neurology. 1987;37:290–1.
Penfield W. The epilepsies: with a note on radical therapy. N Engl J Med. 1939;221:209–18.
Penfield W. The supplementary motor area in the cerebral cortex of man. Arch Psych Zeit Neurol. 1950;185:670–4.
Penfield W. Combined regional and general anesthesia for craniotomy and cortical exploration. Part I. Neurosurgical considerations. Curr Res Anesth Analg. 1954a;33:145–55.
Penfield W. Temporal lobe epilepsy. Br J Surg. 1954b;41:337–43.
Penfield W. Bilateral frontal gyrectomy and postoperative intelligence. Chapter XXIII – symposium on gyrectomy, part 1. Res Publ Ass Nerv Ment Dis. 1947;27:519–34.
Penfield W, Baldwin M. Temporal lobe seizures and the technique of subtotal temporal lobectomy. Ann Surg. 1952;136:625–34.
Penfield W, Evans J. The frontal lobe in man: a clinical study of maximum removals. Brain. 1935;58:115–33.
Penfield W, Flanigin H. Surgical therapy of temporal lobe seizures. Arch Neurol Psychiatry. 1950;64:491–500.
Penfield W, Jasper H. Epilepsy and the functional anatomy of the human brain. Boston: Little, Brown and Co; 1954. p. 896.
Penfield W, Paine K. Results of surgical therapy for focal epileptic seizures. CMAJ. 1955;73:515–31.
Penfield W, Steelman H. The treatment of focal epilepsy by cortical excision. Ann Surg. 1947;126:740–62.
Penfield W, Welch K. Instability of response to stimulation of the sensorimotor cortex of man. J Physiol. 1949;109:358–65 [1.2, 7.5].
Penfield W, Welch K. The supplementary motor area of the cerebral cortex: a clinical and experimental study. AMA Arch Neurol Psychiatry. 1951;66:289–317.
Penfield W, Paine K. The results of surgical therapy for focal epileptic seizures. Proceedings of the fifth international neurological congress, Lisbon; 1953. [1.2]
Rasmussen T. Surgical therapy of frontal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1963;4:181–98.
Rasmussen T. Cortical resection in the treatment of focal epilepsy. In: Purpura DP, Penry JK, Walter RD, editors. Advances in neurology, vol. 8. New York: Raven; 1975a. p. 139–54.
Rasmussen T. Surgery for epilepsy arising in regions other than the temporal and frontal lobes. In: Purpura DP, Penry JK, Walter RD, editors. Advances in neurology, vol. 8. New York: Raven; 1975b. p. 206–26.
Rasmussen T. Surgical treatment of epilepsy. CMAJ. 1977;116:1369–70.
Rasmussen T. Hemispherectomy for seizures revisited. Can J Neurol Sci. 1983a;10:71–8.
Rasmussen T. Characteristics of a pure culture of frontal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia. 1983b;24:482–93.
Rasmussen T. Surgical treatment of complex partial seizures: results, lessons and problems. Epilepsia. 1983c;24 Suppl 1:S65–76.
Rasmussen T, Branch C. Temporal lobe epilepsy: indications for the results of surgical therapy. Postgrad Med. 1962;31:9–14.
Rasmussen T, Jasper H. Temporal lobe epilepsy: indications for operations and surgical technique. In: Baldwin M, Bailey P, editors. Temporal lobe epilepsy. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas; 1958. p. 440–60.
Sachs E. The subpial resection of the cortex in the treatment of Jacksonian Epilepsy (Horsley operation) with observations on areas 4 and 6. Brain. 1935;58:492–503.
Smith S. The surgical treatment of epilepsy, with statistical tables, comprising all recorded cases of ligature of the carotid artery; and also of trephining the cranium by American surgeons. NY J Med. 1852;220–42.
Temkin O. The falling sickness. 2nd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press; 1971.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Girvin, J.P. (2015). History of Epilepsy Surgery. In: Operative Techniques in Epilepsy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10921-3_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10921-3_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-10920-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-10921-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)