Title:

Surgery Saved the Day

Creator:

Spencer, Steven M.

Date:

1953

Description:

In the early 1950s Koop pioneered the use of a shunt for draining excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain (called hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain") into the peritoneal cavity (located in the lower abdomen), thereby preventing an abnormal enlargement of the head and resulting mental retardation. In his autobiography, Koop recounts that after reports of his successful treatment appeared in the media, reports such as this one in The Saturday Evening Post, parents from all parts of the country arrived at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, some of them by house trailer, in search of relief for their hydrocephalitic children.

Periodical:

Saturday Evening Post

Publisher:

Curtis Publishing Company

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of the Saturday Evening Post.

Genre:

Articles

Subject:

Hydrocephalus, General Surgery, and Pediatrics

Format:

Text

Extent:

4 pages

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Periodical. Spencer, Steven M. "Surgery Saved the Day." Saturday Evening Post, (1953). Article. 4 Images.. Saturday Evening Post

Legacy ID:

QQBCJW

NLM ID:

101584930X570

Profiles Collection:

The C. Everett Koop Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584930X570

Story Section:

Biographical Information