Historical vignettes on the medical and surgical treatment of hydrocephalus

Leo Davidoff’s comments on hydrocephalus accurately reflected the views of the condition and its treatment nearly 100 years ago. There are many examples of hydrocephalus from early history that are seen in various cultures around the world. It is a disease entity that has existed as long as man has walked the earth. In examining the history of the treatment of hydrocephalus, very little was offered to the patient for literally thousands of years. Even the understanding of the disorder was not fully developed until the nineteenth century. We only begin to see the first successful series where the majority of patients survived their surgical intervention in the first half of the twentieth century. While other authors in this book will discuss its “modern” treatment, the purpose of this chapter is to provide historical vignettes on the individuals who conceptualized the disorder over the centuries. How hydrocephalus was viewed as a disease and how its treatment evolved will also be explored.