A “lyrical, inspirational” story of doctors who changed the health care of an African nation (Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation) Dr. Dilan Ellegala arrives in Tanzania, shocked to find the entire country has just three brain surgeons for its population of forty-two million. Haydom Lutheran Hospital lacks even the most basic surgical tools, not even a saw to open a patient’s skull. Here, people with head injuries or brain tumors heal on their own or die. When confronted with a villager suffering from a severe head trauma, Dilan buys a tree saw from a farmer, sterilizes it, and then uses it to save the man’s life. Yet Dilan realizes that there are far too many neurosurgery patients for one person to save, and of course he will soon be leaving Tanzania. He needs to teach someone his skills. He identifies a potential student in Emmanuel Mayegga, a stubborn assistant medical officer who grew up in a mud hut. Though Mayegga has no medical degree, Dilan sees that Mayegga has the dexterity, intelligence, and determination to do brain surgery. Over six months, he teaches Mayegga how to remove tumors and treat hydrocephalus. And then, perhaps more important, Dilan teaches Mayegga how to pass on his newfound skills. Mayegga teaches a second Tanzanian, who teaches a third. It’s a case of teach-a-man-to-fish meets brain surgery. As he guides these Tanzanians to do things they never thought possible, Dilan challenges the Western medical establishment to do more than send vacationing doctors on short-term medical missions. He discovers solutions that could transform health care for two billion people across the world. A Surgeon in the Village is the incredible and riveting account of one man’s push to “train-forward”—to change our approach to aid and medical training before more lives are needlessly lost. His story is a testament to the transformational power of teaching and the ever-present potential for change. As many as seventeen million people die every year because of a shortage of surgeons, more than die from AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Dilan Ellegala and other visionaries are boldly proposing ways of saving lives.

This book is a combination of ideas and experiences from over 100 dedicated and brilliant neurosurgeons around the world. Their common goal is to provide data for a deeper understanding of the multi-faceted aspects of neurosurgery and, by doing so, to better serve patients across the globe. Scientific curiosity, deep dedication, incredible work ethics, entrepreneurship, and creativity are the common traits among all neurosurgeons, and not the exception. By allowing readers to see the field of neurosurgery from the perspectives of surgeons spanning five continents, this book serves to provide multiple, diverse viewpoints and to build a foundation for future collaborations. The book’s 24 chapters are organized into 3 parts. Part I provides the reader with an overview of the role of neurosurgery in worldwide health care, its evolution over the past decades, the current state and future directions of each neurosurgical subspecialty across the five continents. Over the years, the overarching goal for neurosurgeons has been to develop new, more effective and high-end solutions for complex diseases and to provide access to neurosurgical services for all patients. Part II discusses the differences and similarities of neurosurgery education and training across the globe, providing a snapshot of how new tools, technology, and paradigms reduce inequality and increase access to neurosurgical education. Educational accomplishments and challenges still present for the in different regions of the world are reviewed. Part III focuses on economic aspects influencing neurosurgery globally, including how to make efficient decisions in the face of scarcity, yet demand. The authors provide theories, models, and tools helpful to apply when planning to allocate resources, not just financial, but also human and intellectual. A deeper understanding of economics does not necessarily provide the answer to the problem; rather it provides the tools to find an answer, or, ideally, multiple possible solutions. Neurosurgery and Global Health is the first comprehensive guide to the role of neurosurgery in the global health care sphere, providing an in-depth compendium about the understanding of the neurosurgical role within global health, its efforts in the education of tomorrow’s workforce, and the economic aspects driving the field.

This practical, comprehensive and highly illustrated book will be invaluable to students and doctors of neurology and internal medicine in Africa.

A History of Neurosurgery is the first thorough book on the history of neurosurgery published since 1951. The book is organized around a specific historiographic framework that traces the advancement of the specialty. Included are chapters on ancient trepanation, Macewen's first use of the combined technologies of anesthesia, antisepsis and cortical localization in 1879 to plan and perform craniotomies, the emergence of Harvey Cushing's leadership, the evolution of modern neurosurgical techniques and technology and much more.

New edition of a highly successful illustrated guide to neurology and neurosurgery for medical students and junior doctors.•Comprehensive guide to neurology and neurosurgery for medical students and junior doctors – competing books do not cover both areas.•Graphic approach to the subject – concise text is arranged around clear and memorable line diagrams. Readers find this approach accessible and easy to learn form.•Clarifies a subject area which students tend to find difficult and forbidding.Updated and revised in all areas where there have been developments in understanding of neurological disease and in neurological and neurosurgical management. This revision has also incorporated current guidelines, particularly recommendations from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

This unique book describes an expert neurosurgeon's way of avoiding trouble in the clinic and the operating theatre. Mr Adams, an internationally recognized neurosurgeon and teacher, has trained numerous neurosurgical fellows from around the world including the US, Japan, Australia, Europe and South Africa. The book contains his pearls of wisdom after a lifetime of neurosurgical practice. It is a distillation from his own notebook, which contains 30 years' worth of clinical cases (and both his successes and failures). The book is not intended as a comprehensive textbook of neurosurgery but covers those areas that cause difficulty for trainees and qualified surgeons alike. There are unique chapters on: * neuroanatomy (with two sheets of origami to aid learning) * handy hints on history taking and neurological examination * fundamental surgical principles * talking with patients * unusual pathologies to watch out for and * operative technical tips This book emphasizes the art and philosophy of neurosurgery and surgery in general. The chapter on history taking and examination is a wonderful read, and this chapter alone should persuade all surgical trainees (not just neurosurgeons) to buy this book. In addition, the section on the management of post-operative pain is lucid and full of essential knowledge. Finally, surgeons who operate close to the brain (ENT and maxillofacial surgeons) as well as neurosurgeons will find the fount of wisdom in this book invaluable for the management of their own patients.