Throughout its history, surgery has been brutal, bloody and very dangerous – and in no area of the body has it been more frightening than the brain. Just over 100 years ago, cutting into the brain was a terrifying prospect for both patient and surgeon; they could expect the result to be the surgeon bloodied and defeated, the patient dead. From freak accidents involving crowbars through the skull to notorious lobotomies with ice-picks, this programme reveals how, through mishap and misadventure, brain surgery has become the life-saving discipline it is today.
Episode #101 / Length: 51 minutes
© 2013 KLRU-TV