title: Pierre Curie: the anonymous neurosurgical contributor.
abstract: Pierre Curie, best known as a Nobel Laureate in Physics for his co-contributions to the field of radioactivity alongside research partner and wife Marie Curie, died suddenly in 1906 from a street accident in Paris. Tragically, his skull was crushed under the wheel of a horse-drawn carriage. This article attempts to honor the life and achievements of Pierre Curie, whose trailblazing work in radioactivity and piezoelectricity set into motion a wide range of technological developments that have culminated in the advent of numerous techniques used in neurological surgery today. These innovations include brachytherapy, Gamma Knife radiosurgery, focused ultrasound, and haptic feedback in robotic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Man
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Sabourin
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.|Radiology.|Neurology and Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Chirag D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Carmel
authors.affiliation: Departments of 1 Neurological Surgery.|Radiology.|Neurology and Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Prestigiacomo
mesh_terms: D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005602:France; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation; D009613:Nobel Prize
keywords: Gamma Knife; Pierre Curie; focused ultrasound; haptic feedback; piezoelectricity; radium brachytherapy