• Ravindran Visagan and Harold Ellis.
• Department of Anatomy, Guy's Campus, King's College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Visagan@doctors.org.uk.
• World Neurosurg. 2017 Aug 1; 104: 339-345.

AbstractThe authors examine the life and contribution of Joseph Buford Pennybacker to British neurosurgery and the modern management of cerebral abscesses. Pennybacker's inspirational journey began with him aspiring to follow in the footsteps of the pioneering surgeon, Ephraim McDowell. It saw him cross the Atlantic, learn medicine at Edinburgh, train in neurology at Queen Square in London, and study neurosurgery under Sir Hugh Cairns in Oxford. Pennybacker navigated a successful career through World War II and together with Cairns established the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford as a highly esteemed neurosurgical unit. By increasing the operative tempo yet uncompromising the meticulousness of his operative technique, Pennybacker challenged the Halstedian and Cushing traditions. The pioneering Pennybacker system of managing cerebral abscesses stood the test of time and the ethos of preoperative imaging, intervention, and postoperative monitoring-clinically, biochemically, and with imaging results-remains today. Pennybacker contributed significantly to British neurosurgery and the training of both home-grown and international neurosurgeons and he was also a remarkably kind-hearted and calm individual. These qualities inspired many of his contemporaries and junior colleagues, and we hope will continue to do so for generations to come.Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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