Sir Rickman John Godlee-Contributions in Addition to His 1884 Tumor Resection, A Review

Erica Shen; Hiromi Terai; Khaoula Ben Haj Frej; Jordan Dean; Bruce Chozick; Ketan R Bulsara

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.130

Sir Rickman John Godlee-Contributions in Addition to His 1884 Tumor Resection, A Review

World Neurosurg. 2024 Mar:183:187-191. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.130. Epub 2023 Nov 30.

Authors

Erica Shen¹, Hiromi Terai², Khaoula Ben Haj Frej², Jordan Dean², Bruce Chozick³, Ketan R Bulsara³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA. Electronic address: eshen@uchc.edu.
² School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
³ Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.

PMID: 38042292
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2023.11.130

Abstract

Background: Sir Rickman John Godlee (1849-1925) was widely known for performing the first documented surgery to resect a tumor from the brain.

Methods: The case was performed on November 25, 1884, on a 25-year-old farmer who presented with a left-sided Jacksonian March seizure.

Results: The case was highly publicized because the tumor was localized by Dr. Hughes Bennett and subsequently resected by Sir Godlee based on the patient's clinical presentation and physical examination alone.

Conclusions: Aside from this widely publicized case, little has been written about Sir Godlee. Sir Godlee was also known to be an outstanding anatomist who displayed exceptional skills in surgical dissection. He was known for being an excellent teacher. Sir Godlee was deeply influenced by his uncle, Lord Joseph Lister, a renowned physician who popularized antiseptic methods. Sir Godlee was also known for publishing his uncle's biography, Lord Lister.

Keywords: Godlee; Neurosurgeon; Tumor resection.

Publication types

Case Reports
Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain Neoplasms* / surgery
Dissection
Family
Humans
Male
Physical Examination
Seizures