In the early 1950s Koop pioneered the use of a shunt for draining excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain (called hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain") into the peritoneal cavity (located in the lower abdomen), thereby preventing an abnormal enlargement of the head and resulting mental retardation. In his autobiography, Koop recounts that after reports of his successful treatment appeared in the media, reports such as this one in The Saturday Evening Post, parents from all parts of the country arrived at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, some of them by house trailer, in search of relief for their hydrocephalitic children.
Number of Image Pages:
4 (2,011,315 Bytes)
Date:
1953
Creator:
Spencer, Steven M.
Source:
Periodical: Spencer, Steven M. "Surgery Saved the Day." Saturday Evening Post, (1953). Article. 4 Images.
Publisher:
Curtis Publishing Company
Rights:
Reproduced with permission of the Saturday Evening Post.
