McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
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Original Letters
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File
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Reference code
CA OSLER P142-A-A/N-1-1/6
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0.5 cm of textual records
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Name of creator
(1891-1976)
Biographical history
Born in Spokane, Washington, Wilder Penfield received his B.Litt. from Princeton University in 1913 and was a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford (B.A.1916). He received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1918. Studying under Sir Charles Sherrington at Oxford, Penfield became interested in the brain. From 1921 to 1928 he engaged in research and neurosurgery at the Presbyterian Hospital and served on the Medical Faculty of Columbia University. Appointed to the Medical Faculty of McGill University in 1928, he was Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery from 1934 to 1960. An endowment from the Rockefeller Foundation enabled him to establish the Montreal Neurological Institute (M.N.I.), which opened in 1934. At the M.N.I. Penfield made many innovations in neurosurgery including a surgical treatment for epilepsy. He devoted much of his research to the study of the physiology of the brain, speech memory and sensation. Besides his numerous scientific publications, Penfield wrote two novels and participated in a large number of professional organizations. Dr. Penfield was a member of the Board of Curators of the Osler Library.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The file contains original letters concerning the Montreal Neurological Institute, specifically the naming of the wards; the creation of the motto; the Rockefeller Foundation; and a report on the ‘Review of the Discussions of the Bridge and Functional Cooperation between the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal Neurological Institute’ by Wilder Penfield.