Dr. Wilder Penfield:
A Significant Contributor To Canada
BY: TANNER HOFFMAN
FOR: MS. BLAND
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER
2 7 TH, 2 0 1 0
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.”
(Library and Archives Canada. Famous Canadian Physicians.
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/physicians/. July 21, 2008.)
(The Montreal Neurological Institute founded by Wilder Penfield)
Persistence In The Face Of Obstacles
(“Maps” of the brain, created by Penfield)
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.
(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.
(Canadian Science and Technology Museum Staff. Wilder Penfield.
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/about/hallfame/. 2010.)
(Dr. Penfield looking after a young child)
Penfield’s Affect On Epilepsy
John Jackson defines a seizure as "an
occasional, an excessive, and a
disorderly discharge of nerve tissue
on muscles."
The term "epileptologist" was first used
to describe a person who specializes
in epilepsy.
1859
1904
Ethosuximide (ESM) was introduced as
an AED and has been the drug of
choice for people with absence seizures
1958
Wilder Penfield invented
the Montreal Procedure,
allowing for epileptic
seizures to be eliminated
surgically.
1920
1930
The Epilepsy Foundation of
America is founded, the only
such organization wholly
dedicated to the welfare of
people with epilepsy.
1968
The ketogenic diet, one of the
oldest forms of treatment for
epilepsy, is devised.
Various new treatments and medicines
are approved to aid those who suffer
from epilepsy.
1990
(Schachter, Steven. History of Epilepsy. www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/history/. October 21, 2007)
2010
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, Wilder. The Mystery Of The Mind. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 1977. Page: 1)
(Penfield working in his “map” of the human brain.)
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