Attaching electrodes to a patient's head, St Hugh's Military Hospital (Head Injuries), St Margaret's Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire
A patient having the electrodes of the electro-encephalogram applied to his head, in order that the electrical waves of the brain may be recorded by means of inked pointers on a paper strip. Hugh Cairns, a “dynamic and pioneering” neurosurgeon, was heavily involved in neurological and neurosurgical initiatives during World War TwoI. Following high death rates among soldiers who had sustained head injuries in World War One, it was recognised that specialised units were required. St Hugh’s College, Oxford, was requisitioned by the military and became a specialist unit for nuerosurgery, the only one in World War Two. Cairns was “visionary”, and followed Harvey Cushing’s principles of operation within 24-48 hours, debridement (removal of dead, damaged and infected tissue), and wound closure in order to reduce the death rate from 50% to 10%. Mobile Neurosurgical Units were also formed, which could be deployed to the front line and which resolved the problem of treating patients rapidly when transport was challenging. St Hugh’s was the first hospital to offer occupational therapy and rehabilitation at associated convalescent homes. The objective, which was largely met, was to return men to active duty.
