Wilder Penfield

Wilder Penfield
OM CC CMG FRS
Penfield in 1958
Born
Wilder Graves Penfield

(1891-01-26)January 26, 1891
Spokane, Washington, United States
DiedApril 5, 1976(1976-04-05) (aged 85)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Alma mater
Known for
  • Prompting memory recall during surgery via temporal lobe stimulation
  • Treatment of epilepsy by surgery
  • Montreal procedure
  • Penfield dissector
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsNeurosurgery
Institutions
Notable studentsLaurence Levy[2]

Wilder Graves Penfield OM CC CMG FRS[1] (January 26, 1891 – April 5, 1976) was an American-Canadian neurosurgeon.[3] He expanded brain surgery's methods and techniques, including mapping the functions of various regions of the brain such as the cortical homunculus. His scientific contributions on neural stimulation expand across a variety of topics including hallucinations, illusions, dissociation and déjà vu. Penfield devoted much of his thinking to mental processes, including contemplation of whether there was any scientific basis for the existence of the human soul.[3]

  1. ^ a b Eccles, John; Feindel, William (1978). "Wilder Graves Penfield 26 January 1891-5 April 1976". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 24: 472–513. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1978.0015. PMID 11615742.
  2. ^ "Levy, Laurence Fraser (1921 - 2007)". livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Wilder Penfield". PBS. Retrieved 7 February 2010.