A neurosurgeon important to the history of spinal cord treatment turns 100 years old today.
Dr. Gilles Bertrand made substantial original developments to the surgical treatment of spinal disorders and the microsurgical treatment of pituitary tumours during his tenure at The Neuro, which began in 1960.
Along with the late Dr. Herbert Jasper, Dr. Bertrand led groundbreaking work on the recording of the human thalamus cell unit in conscious patients undergoing surgery for Parkinson's disease. Dr. Bertrand and Dr. Chris Thompson pioneered the use of computers in stereotactic surgery to treat Parkinson's tremor.
Dr. Bertrand demonstrated that syringomyelia is often due to hydrodynamic problems of cerebrospinal fluid circulation with partial obstruction of cerebral spinal fluid tracts. He also made outstanding contributions to graduate education in Canada as a Director of McGill University's Neurosurgical Post-Graduate Training Program.
Dr. Bertrand was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988. He was awarded the Médaille du Lieutenant Gouverneur in 1949 and the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1992.
