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William Watson Cheyne (1852–1932): a life in medicine and his innovative surgical treatment of congenital hydrocephalus

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Abstract

William Watson Cheyne lived and trained during a period of great advances in medical knowledge and surgical techniques. Despite his various contributions to the fields of bacteriology and surgery, little is known about his career or his life apart from his affiliations with Joseph Lister. This article aims to identify Cheyne as a pioneer in the treatment of congenital hydrocephalus and sheds light on the man who existed in Lister’s shadow for most of his life. Cheyne’s technique for surgical intervention of hydrocephalus was a great turning point and contributes to the current treatment strategy utilized today for hydrocephalus.

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Acknowledgments

A great many thanks to the Cheyne family for providing rare details about Sir Watson Cheyne, Jane Coutts for assisting me in my data collection and taking the time to speak to me, and Fetlar Interpretative Institute for providing photographs and connecting me with the Cheyne family.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Caroline C. Watson & Jeffrey P. Blount

  2. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Christoph J. Griessenauer

  3. Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies

    Marios Loukas & R. Shane Tubbs

  4. Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children’s of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

Authors
  1. Caroline C. Watson
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  2. Christoph J. Griessenauer
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  3. Marios Loukas
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  4. Jeffrey P. Blount
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  5. R. Shane Tubbs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Shane Tubbs.

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Watson, C.C., Griessenauer, C.J., Loukas, M. et al. William Watson Cheyne (1852–1932): a life in medicine and his innovative surgical treatment of congenital hydrocephalus. Childs Nerv Syst 29, 1961–1965 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-013-2220-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-013-2220-7

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