A history of the National Hospital, Queen Square: in 10 objects

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Sir Victor Horsley in uniform

Sir Victor Horsley, arguably the worlds first brain surgeon, and certainly the greatest neurosurgeon of the time, was appointed to the Hospital in 1886. He devised many surgical techniques and methods, including stereotaxic neurosurgery, and pioneered cerebral localisation. Alongside his medical work, he was a political and social reformer, campaigning for women's suffrage, temperance, and housing for the poor. He died in Mesopotomia in 1915 in the service of his country. He is commemorated by a blue plaque on Gower Street. The original of this photograph is held in Queen Square Archives, and is part of a collection kindly donated by Horsley's descendants.

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