title: On the surgery of the seat of the soul: the pineal gland and the history of its surgical approaches.
abstract: The pineal gland has been studied through philosophy and science for thousands of years. Its role in human physiology was not well understood until the scientific community first started to report on pineal pathology in the eighteenth century. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reports on pineal tumors and the emergence of comparative anatomy allowed more complete understanding of pineal function. Neurosurgical methods of treating pineal pathology first emerged in the early twentieth century. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the emergence of microsurgical technique allowed for excellent outcomes with minimal morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Neurological Institute of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 90 Bergen Street, Suite 8100, Newark, NJ 07101-1709, USA.
authors.forename: Osamah
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Choudhry
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Prestigiacomo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000266:history; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000266:history*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000601:surgery*; D010871:Pinealoma / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery