Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 1991
Biography Historical ArticleThe image of the "brain surgeon" in American culture: the influence of Harvey Cushing.
In contemporary American culture, the term "brain surgeon" conjures up the image of an intensely single-minded professional, who deals with terribly complex matters of life and death. These descriptors find their personification in Harvey Cushing, because they are derived directly from him. This hypothesis was tested by a complete search of the New York Times Index and the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature for the years 1919 to 1942. ⋯ Thus, it was Cushing's literary skills that initially brought him recognition from editors who were arbiters of public opinion. This attention seems to have been the conduit to his mythologization by the larger public. Although unnamed, it is really Cushing's image that still persists as the prototypical "brain surgeon" in the collective American consciousness.