Brain Collector at Yale

(Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/MRI_head_side.jpg)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/health/24brain.html?_r=1&ref=health

Can you imagine having your skull cut open for a brain surgery with limited use of anesthetics? There were days when brave patients went through such painful medical treatments. Some of them survived in the good hands of Dr. Cushing. In the history of neurosurgery, Dr. Cushing was a legend and a forerunner in the late 19th to early 20th century. Recently the Cushing Centre at Yale University was renovated. The brains, which were part of Dr. Cushing's collection extensive medical documentary, are being exhibited. Apart from the specimens, the medical record also contained photos of patients who survived the surgeries with scars on their scalps. This article was a timely report on this open-to-public exhibition and provided a nice little recap of Dr. Cushing's life like a mini-profile which enabled people from our time to take a step back and appreciate the work of "the founder of modern neurosurgery". The article is effective in informing the public the new exhibition and also accounted for its meaning to American's history in neurosurgery and necessary background information.

In addition, a picture showing the jars of human brains at the Yale's Cushing Center was eye-catching for readers. I believe this article published at NYTimes.com successfully drew attention from its readers and triggered their attention to read further for the story behind. The most outstanding news value for this article is its novelty and surrealism.

If you would like to get a glimpse of neurosurgery at Dr. Cushing's time, here is a real footage on his 2000th brain tumor resection (source 1):

If you would like to know more about the Cushing Centre at Yale, you can visit http://www.med.yale.edu/library/about/cc.html

With the advance in technology, less invasive treatment for brain cancer are being developed. A study at Taiwan explored a new technique in using ultrasound, magnets and tiny particles to chemotherapy drugs to precise area of the brain so that healthy brain tissues will be less likely to be harmed (source 2).

Source:

1) Harvey Cushing: Founder of modern neurosurgery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMHHjD_I_dc

2) New Brain Tumor Treatment Shows Promise
http://www.latimes.com/health/sns-health-brain-tumor-treatment,0,6060837.story