The Wounded Brain Healed ─ The Golden Age of the Montreal Neurological Institute 1934-1984

In 1934 Wilder Penfield's vision of an establishment dedicated to the relief of sickness and pain and the study of neurology led to the creation of the Montreal Neurological Institute. Setting the standard for neurological research and care for patients disabled by neurological illnesses, Penfield's institute became a beacon of light in a largely unexplored field of medicine. The Wounded Brain Healed describes the pioneering research that took place during the MNI's first fifty years. During the institute's golden age, Penfield and his colleagues designed the EEG test for the study of epileptic patients, discovered some of the causes of epilepsy, and developed new treatments that have since been adopted worldwide. Additionally, they delineated the sensory and motor representation in the cerebral cortex and localized the major areas of the brain related to speech. The institute also boasts the discoveries of two types of memory - one serving immediate recall, the other long term - as well as the discovery of the localization of short-term memory to the inner structures of the temporal lobe. Physicians and scientists who trained at the MNI went on to establish renowned neurology and neurosurgery departments throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Recounting the story of one of Canada’s greatest contributions to international medical science through archival research, personal interviews, photographs, illustrations, and paintings, The Wounded Brain Healed provides fascinating insight into the institution that had a global and lasting impact.

William Feindel (1918-2014), the third director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, was among the earliest inductees into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. Richard Leblanc is a neurosurgeon and physician-scientist at the Montreal Neurological Institute, and a professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University.