At the royal college of Physicians
and surgeons of Glasgow
and surgeons of Glasgow
Advances in medical and surgical methods, practice and technology were evolving rapidly in the second half of the 19th century. Medicine and surgery were becoming more scientific, with an increasing focus on safer practice. The development of anaesthetic and antiseptic also resulted in further experimentation in clinical, pathological and anatomical research. These fields of enquiry were vibrant in Glasgow, with new treatments and discoveries regularly published in the Glasgow Medical Journal.
One such advancement was the combination of neuroanatomical knowledge and surgical practice by Sir William Macewen. Macewen was the first surgeon in the world to successfully remove a brain tumour. He was able to identify that the tumour was causing seizures in the patient due to his understanding of the anatomy of the brain and cerebral localisaiton. The patient survived the operation and was free of seizures for the rest of her life.