BY: TANNER HOFFMANFOR: MS. BLAND

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2010

Dr. Wilder Penfield:A Significant Contributor To Canada

A Canadian To Be Proud Of

"Wilder Penfield was not only a great surgeon

and a great scientist, he was an even greater human being."

- Sir George Pickering, Professor of Medicine at Oxford

University(McGill University Staff. Wilder Penfield.

www.mcgill.ca/about/history/pioneers/penfield/. August 23, 2006.)

The Man Behind the Mask

Wilder Penfield was a Canadian doctor who specialized in the field of neurology. Early in Penfield’s career he was forced to face the death of his sister, a death caused by a brain tumour. It was this unfortunate death of a loved one that prompted Penfield to act.

Wilder Penfield dedicated his life to the study of neurology, saving the lives of countless people in the process. Penfield was known by his colleagues and patients as a man with great humanity and integrity. These traits, as well as an unbelievable dedication to his job, led Penfield to becoming a top contributor in the field of Canadian neurology.

(Dr. Wilder Penfield along side his colleagues) (Penfield, Wilder. No Man Alone, A Neurosurgeon’s Life.

Boston, Mass: Little Brown & Company, 1977. Pages: 1-3)

Dedication To Human Values

Dr. Wilder Penfield was a man who strove to improve the lives of others throughout his every day life. He was a man dedicated to the values of all people, whether rich or poor, healthy or sick. During his career as a neurosurgeon Penfield performed countless hours of surgery, saving hundreds of lives in the process. Penfield also founded the Montreal Neurological Institute, an institute which allowed specialists to work together in order to learn about and treat the brain. Later in his life, Penfield spent much time working with George Vanier in order to create the charitable organization: “The Vanier Institute of the Family.”

Penfield was once quoted as saying, “[Becoming a doctor] seemed to be the best way to make the world a better place in which to live.”

(The Montreal Neurological Institute founded by Wilder Penfield)(Library and Archives Canada. Famous Canadian Physicians.

www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/physicians/. July 21, 2008.)

Persistence In The Face Of Obstacles

Wilder Penfield was a man who never backed down in the face of obstacles. Penfield had a goal of one day “mapping” out the human brain. He wanted to know which part of the brain controlled which bodily function, a task which seemed almost impossible at the time. Penfield dedicated years of his life to this cause, much of the research coming on his own time.

After years of research, Dr. Penfield was able to map out the human brain. This “brain map” allowed for new surgery procedures to be invented, saving thousands of lives.

(“Maps” of the brain, created by Penfield)

(Brune, Nick & Bulgutch, Mark. Canadian By Conviction. Toronto, ON: Gage Educational Publishing, 2000. Page: 217)

Penfield’s Accomplishments

Dr. Wilder Penfield never set out to be recognized with awards and special honors. However, they came to him just the same. After Penfield accomplished the feat of “mapping” out the brain, he was able to create the Montreal Procedure, a surgery designed to cure epilepsy. This procedure marked Penfield, as well as all of Canada, as a leader in neurological studies.

Dr. Wilder Penfield later went on to write many books outlining the functions of the human brain. These books continue to be studied by doctors to this day. On top of all of these accomplishments, Penfield was honored with two major awards: the Order of Canada, and an induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

(Dr. Penfield looking after a young child)(Canadian Science and Technology Museum Staff. Wilder Penfield. www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/about/hallfame/. 2010.)

Penfield’s Affect On Epilepsy

John Jackson defines a seizure as "an occasional, an excessive, and a disorderly discharge of nerve tissue on muscles."

1859

The term "epileptologist" was first used to describe a person who specializes in epilepsy.

1904

The ketogenic diet, one of the oldest forms of treatment for epilepsy, is devised.

1920

Wilder Penfield invented the Montreal Procedure, allowing for epileptic seizures to be eliminated surgically.

1930

Ethosuximide (ESM) was introduced as an AED and has been the drug of choice for people with absence seizures

1958

The Epilepsy Foundation of America is founded, the only such organization wholly dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy.

1968 1990 2010

Various new treatments and medicines are approved to aid those who suffer from epilepsy.

(Schachter, Steven. History of Epilepsy. www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/history/. October 21, 2007)

A Doctor, A Scientist, A Canadian

Wilder Penfield was a doctor who always put the needs of his patients first. He wanted to relieve the pain and suffering caused by terrible diseases such as epilepsy. Through his great works as a doctor, Penfield was recognized all around the world as a leader in neurological studies. Despite his worldwide fame, Penfield stayed true to his Canadian roots, doing almost all of his work in Canada. This truly made Penfield a model citizen to our great country. Dr. Wilder Penfield is a man recognized by thousands of Canadians as one of the greatest contributors to Canadian health sciences. He is also known as arguably the greatest contributor to the field of Canadian neurology

“The patient continued to be in the foreground of my

concern, but in the background was an urge for

exploration.”

-Wilder Penfield

(Penfield working in his “map” of the human brain.)(Penfield, Wilder. The Mystery Of The Mind. Princeton, NJ:

Princeton University Press, 1977. Page: 1)

Bibliography

Brune, Nick & Bulgutch, Mark. Canadian By Conviction. Toronto, ON: Gage Educational Publishing, 2000.

Canadian Science and Technology Museum Staff. Wilder Penfield. [Online] Available. www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/about/hallfame/. 2010.

Library and Archives Canada. Famous Canadian Physicians. [Online] Available. www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/physicians/. July 21, 2008.

McGill University Staff. Wilder Penfield. [Online] Available. www.mcgill.ca/about/history/pioneers/penfield/. August 23, 2006.

Penfield, Wilder. No Man Alone, A Neurosurgeon’s Life. Boston, Mass: Little Brown & Company, 1977.

Penfield, Wilder. The Mystery Of The Mind. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977.

Schachter, Steven. History of Epilepsy. [Online] Available. www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/history/. October 21, 2007

Society of Neurological Surgeons. Wilder Penfield, MD. [Online] Available. www.societns.org/society/. 2008