title: Cervical spine surgery in the ancient and medieval worlds.
abstract: The early historical literature on cervical spine surgery lacks printed material for review, and we can rely only on pathological material from the prehistoric period that has survived as a result of anthropological investigations. After the introduction of Egyptian and early Hellenic medicine, some written material became available. This paper reviews these materials, from both books and manuscripts, in an effort to understand the development of cervical spine surgery from the perspectives of the personalities involved and the early surgical practices used. The review thus considers the following five eras of medicine: 1) prehistoric; 2) Egyptian and Babylonian; 3) Greek and early Byzantine; 4) Middle Eastern; and 5) medieval.
authors.affiliation: Leo Davidoff Department of Neurological Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Montefiore, Bronx, New York 10467, USA. goodrich@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: James Tait
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Goodrich
mesh_terms: D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic / Q000266:history; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D012613:Sculpture; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000266:history / Q000601:surgery; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000266:history / Q000601:surgery; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*