Harvey Cushing

Harvey Cushing (April 8, 1869 – October 7, 1939) was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer and draftsman. He is considered the father of modern neurosurgery.

Early Life and Education

Cushing was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the youngest of ten children. His parents were Henry Kirke Cushing, a physician, and Betsey Maria Williams. He graduated from the Yale University in 1891. He completed his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 1895.

Career

Cushing began his career at the Johns Hopkins Hospital where he worked under the guidance of William Stewart Halsted, the father of modern surgery. He developed many of the basic surgical techniques for operating on the brain. This dramatically reduced the high mortality rates that were associated with brain surgery at the time.

In 1913, Cushing became the surgeon-in-chief at the newly built Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. He also became the professor of surgery at the Harvard Medical School. He held these positions until he retired in 1932.

Contributions to Medicine

Cushing made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He is best known for his discovery of Cushing's disease, a condition caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland which leads to overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands.

He also made significant contributions to brain surgery, including the use of radiography in surgical operations. He was the first to use x-rays to locate brain tumors. He also developed the method of operating with the patient sitting up, a method still used today in certain types of brain surgery.

Awards and Honors

Cushing received numerous awards and honors for his work. In 1914, he was awarded the Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh. In 1926, he was awarded the Lannelongue Medal by the Paris Surgical Society. In 1930, he was awarded the Gairdner Foundation International Award.

Death and Legacy

Cushing died in 1939 at the age of 70. His contributions to medicine, particularly to the field of neurosurgery, continue to be recognized today. The Cushing Brain Tumor Registry, containing over 2,000 case studies of patients he treated, is housed at the Yale University School of Medicine.

See Also

• Cushing's disease
• Neurosurgery
• Pituitary gland
• Adrenal glands

References

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