Cerebral Story

In its day, the Montreal Neurological Institute was the institute for the diagnosis, treatment, and study of the brain, and today, ninety-one years after it was founded, it remains among the leading neurological institutes on the planet. The success of the Neuro, as it is known on the McGill University campus, is usually attributed to one man: Wilder Penfield. The charismatic neurosurgeon had every attribute required to head a world-class medical centre: he was a brilliant researcher, groundbreaking doctor, and formidable fundraiser. His iconic status was confirmed fifteen years after his death, in a 1991 “Heritage Minute” with a catchphrase now enshrined in popular culture. He was depicted in an operating theatre, performing brain surgery on a woman who suddenly gasps, “I can smell burnt toast.”

In The Mind Mappers, Eric Andrew-Gee tells a compelling story about how the Neuro came into being and why Penfield is so revered. But this is no...