Newswise — Winner of the Vesalius Award, Saul da Silva, MD, presented his research, Travels to the Tropics: “Deutschtum” and Fedor Krause’s visits to Brazil, during the 2018 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting.
Fedor Krause, the father of German neurosurgery, traveled to Latin America in the final years of his career. Krause’s associations and motivations for his travels to South America and his work there have not been well chronicled. This study describes Krause’s activities in South America within the context of the Germanism doctrine, the efforts to recover German influence and, most importantly, the professional enjoyment Krause reaped from his trips and his lasting neurosurgical influence in South America.
Fedor Krause’s visits to Brazil happened while Germany tried to reestablish economic, political, cultural and scientific power and influence, a doctrine known as “Deutschtum” or “Germanism”. Science, particularly medicine, had been chosen as a field in which to meet these challenges. The advanced German system of academic organization and instruction, with its connections and collaborations with industry, was an optimal means to re-establish economic viability, not only of Germany, but also of Brazil.
As a kind of ambassador, Krause succeeded in helping to rebuild the German image and in reconstructing diplomatic relations between Germany and Brazil. Krause was not viewed as a mere tool: he was a sincere teacher and perhaps the most technically accomplished and advanced neurosurgeon of his time. His unassuming nature endeared Krause to those he met, taught and with whom he worked; he was known to rapidly adopt new technology that would push the boundaries of surgical technique. Krause’s involvement helped put Brazilian neurosurgery on a firm foundation, and he left an indelible legacy of neurosurgery’s advancing professionalism and specialization in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.
Author Block: Saul da Silva, MD; Manoeul Teixeira, MD; Evgenii Belykh, MD, PhD; Alessandro Carotenuto, BA; Robert Spetzler, MD; Mark Preul, MD; Eberval Figueiredo, MD
Disclosure: The author reported no conflicts of interest.
Media Representatives: The 2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website’s press section will include releases on highlighted scientific research, AANS officers and award winners, Neurosurgery Awareness Month and other relevant information about the 2018 program. Releases will be posted on the 2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website. If you have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon — either onsite or via telephone — during the event, please contact Alice Kelsey, AANS associate executive director, via email at [email protected].
About the 2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting: Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. The scientific presentations accepted for the 2018 event will represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Find additional information about the 2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the meeting program here.
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 11,000 members worldwide. The AANS is dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.
For more information, visit www.AANS.org.
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