|
In 1928 Dr. Wilder Penfield
joined the faculty of McGill University and
also became neurosurgeon at the Royal Victoria
and Montreal General Hospitals.
Penfield, an American born in Wisconsin and
educated at Princeton, Merton College Oxford
and Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore,
went on to found Montreal Neurological
Institute in this building designed by Ross
and MacDonald. The venture was funded by
a substantial grant from the Rockefeller
Foundation and support from the government of
Quebec, the city of Montréal and private
donors. Dr. Wilder Penfield became one
of Canada's foremost neurosurgeons credited
with the discovery of a surgical treatment for
epilepsy.
Today, the building is
still part of the hospital complex and
houses the Montreal Neurological Hospital
Library that contains 12,000 books and
journals devoted to the neurosciences.
It is also home to McGill University’s
Department of Neurology &
Neurosurgery. The Institute describes
itself as, "... a
unique academic medical centre dedicated
to neuroscience. Here multidisciplinary
teams of basic and clinical scientists
generate fundamental information about
the nervous system and apply that
knowledge to understanding and treating
neurological diseases. In 2007, the
Canadian government named the MNI as one
of seven Centres of Excellence in
Commercialization and Research in
recognition of our innovative and
outstanding work. Since its founding in
1934, the Montreal Neurological
Institute and Hospital has offered
outstanding training, and former fellows
hold prominent positions around the
world. Today’s trainees, from more than
60 countries, will also have a
world-wide impact as we reach out
through international collaborations,
formal relationships with sister
institutes, and high visibility in
professional organizations. "
|
