Gazi Yasargil
Encyclopedia
Mahmut Gazi Yaşargil is a Turkish
medical
scientist
and neurosurgeon
(born on July 6, 1925 in Lice
, Diyarbakır
, Turkey). He is the founder of microneurosurgery. Yaşargil treated epilepsy
and brain tumor
s with instruments of his own design. From 1953 until his retirement in 1993 he was first resident, chief resident and then professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Zurich
and the Zurich University Hospital. In 1999 he was honored as "Neurosurgery’s Man of the Century 1950-1999" at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Annual Meeting.
in Ankara
, Turkey between 1931 and 1943, he went to Germany to study medicine at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
, Germany
s, and ergonomic aneurysm
clips and appliers. His genius in developing microsurgical techniques for use in cerebrovascular
neurosurgery transformed the outcomes of patients with conditions that were previously inoperable. In 1969 Yaşargil became associate professor and in 1973 professor
and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Zurich
succeeding his mentor, Prof. Krayenbuhl. Over the next 20 years, he carried out laboratory work and clinical applications of micro techniques, performing 7500 intracranial
operations in Zurich until his retirement in 1993. In 1994, Yaşargil accepted an appointment as Professor of Neurosurgery at the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
in Little Rock where he is still active in the practice of micro-neurosurgery, research, and teaching.
Together with Harvey Cushing
, Yaşargil is hailed as one of the greatest neurosurgeons of the twentieth century. He has helped three generations of neurosurgeons, defining what is possible in neurosurgery, and then demonstrating how to achieve it. In the micro-neurosurgical anatomical laboratory in Zurich he trained around 3000 colleagues from all continents and representing all surgical specialties. He participated in several hundred national and international neurosurgical congresses, symposia, and courses as an invited guest. Yaşargil is in high regard in the Turkish society and is respected as an exemplary role model for Turkish youth.
He is married to Dianne Bader-Gibson Yaşargil, who was the nurse in charge of the operating suite by his side since 1973, and is still assisting him in surgery.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
medical
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and neurosurgeon
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
(born on July 6, 1925 in Lice
Lice, Turkey
Lice is a district of Diyarbakır Province in Turkey. The population is 9,644 as of 2010. It is located from the capital, Diyarbakır....
, Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
, Turkey). He is the founder of microneurosurgery. Yaşargil treated epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
s with instruments of his own design. From 1953 until his retirement in 1993 he was first resident, chief resident and then professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
and the Zurich University Hospital. In 1999 he was honored as "Neurosurgery’s Man of the Century 1950-1999" at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons is a professional body representing neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, and allied health professionals...
Annual Meeting.
Education and career
After attending Ankara Atatürk Lisesi and Ankara UniversityAnkara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey between 1931 and 1943, he went to Germany to study medicine at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena , is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
s, and ergonomic aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
clips and appliers. His genius in developing microsurgical techniques for use in cerebrovascular
Cerebrovascular disease
Cerebrovascular disease is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain. Hypertension is the most important cause; it damages the blood vessel lining, endothelium, exposing the underlying collagen where platelets aggregate to initiate a repairing process...
neurosurgery transformed the outcomes of patients with conditions that were previously inoperable. In 1969 Yaşargil became associate professor and in 1973 professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
succeeding his mentor, Prof. Krayenbuhl. Over the next 20 years, he carried out laboratory work and clinical applications of micro techniques, performing 7500 intracranial
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
operations in Zurich until his retirement in 1993. In 1994, Yaşargil accepted an appointment as Professor of Neurosurgery at the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is part of the University of Arkansas System, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas...
in Little Rock where he is still active in the practice of micro-neurosurgery, research, and teaching.
Together with Harvey Cushing
Harvey Cushing
Harvey Williams Cushing, M.D. , was an American neurosurgeon and a pioneer of brain surgery, and the first to describe Cushing's syndrome...
, Yaşargil is hailed as one of the greatest neurosurgeons of the twentieth century. He has helped three generations of neurosurgeons, defining what is possible in neurosurgery, and then demonstrating how to achieve it. In the micro-neurosurgical anatomical laboratory in Zurich he trained around 3000 colleagues from all continents and representing all surgical specialties. He participated in several hundred national and international neurosurgical congresses, symposia, and courses as an invited guest. Yaşargil is in high regard in the Turkish society and is respected as an exemplary role model for Turkish youth.
He is married to Dianne Bader-Gibson Yaşargil, who was the nurse in charge of the operating suite by his side since 1973, and is still assisting him in surgery.
Publications
Yaşargil published his surgical experiences in 330 papers and 13 monographs. The six-volume publication Microneurosurgery (1984–1996, Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart-New York) is the comprehensive review of his broad experiences and a major contribution to the neurosurgery literature.Honorary Doctor
- 1990 Ankara University, Medical Department of İbni Sina, Ankara, Turkey
- 1991 İstanbul University, Medical Department of Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Turkey
- 1999 University of Lima, Peru
- 2000 Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
- 2001 Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing and Xian, China
- 2002 Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, Germany
Honorary Professor
- 1993 University of Zurich, Switzerland
- 2003 19 May University SamsunSamsunSamsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
, Turkey
Honorary Citizen
- 1975 AustinAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA - 1992 ÜrgüpÜrgüpÜrgüp is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Located in the historical region of Cappadocia, and near the cave Churches of Göreme, it is renowned for its nightlife and for its good adjustment to tourism, making it a popular night stop for Cappadocia...
, Turkey - 1999 RosarioRosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Honorary Membership
- 1976 Academia Brasileira de Neurocirurgia
- 1977 Society of Neurological Surgeons, USA
- 1979 American Heart Association, Dallas, Texas, USA (Honorary Fellow)
- 1981 Canadian Neurosurgical Society
- 1986 Congress of Neurological SurgeonsCongress of Neurological SurgeonsThe Congress of Neurological Surgeons is a professional body representing neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, and allied health professionals...
- 1987 Japan Neurosurgical Society
- 1989 American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Harvey Cushing Society
- 1989 Swiss Society of Neuroradiology
- 1990 Royal Society of Medicine, London, Section of Neurology
- 1990 Turkish Neurosurgical Society
- 1990 International Skull Base Society
- 1993 Swiss Neurosurgical Society
- 1994 Argentine Neurosurgical Society
- 1998 American Society of Neuroradiology
- 1998 Turkish Academy of Sciences
- 1999 Peruvian Neurosurgical Society
- 2000 Italian Neurosurgical Society
- 2002 Hong Kong Neurosurgical Society
- 2003 Rocky Mountain Neurosurgical Society, USA
- 2003 Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery
- 2006 Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurocirurgia
Awards
- 1957 Vogt-Award of the Swiss Ophthalmological Society
- 1968 Robert-Bing-Prize of Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences
- 1976 Marcel-Benoit-Prize of Swiss Federation
- 1980 “Neurosurgeon of the Year”
- 1981 Pioneer Microsurgeon Award of the International Microsurgical Society, Sydney, Australia
- 1988 Medal of Honor of Universita di Napoli e della Compagna Naples, Italy
- 1992 Medical Award of the Republic of Turkey
- 1997 Gold Medal of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies
- 1998 Distinguished Faculty Scholar, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- 1998 Honored as “Neurosurgeon of the Century” by the Brazilian Neurosurgical Society
- 1999 European Association of Neurological Surgeons Medal of Honor
- 1999 Honored as "Neurosurgery’s Man of the Century 1950-1999" by the journal Neurosurgery at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting
- 2000 Fedor Krause Medal, German Neurosurgical Society
- 2000 Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons
- 2000 Turkish State Medal of Distinguished ServiceState Medal of Distinguished Service (Turkey)State Medal of Distinguished Service is one of the three civil state decorations of Turkey. The medal was established on October 24, 1983 with the Law on Medals and Orders, Act No. 2933...
- 2000 Award of the Turkish Academy of Sciences
- 2002 International Francesco Durante Award, Italy
Trivia
- Widely acclaimed poet Can YucelCan YücelCan Yücel was a Turkish poet noted for his use of colloquial language.-Biography:Can Yücel was the son of a former Minister of National Education, Hasan Ali Yücel who left his mark on the history of education in Turkey, and a grandchild of an Ottoman sea captain who perished with the frigate...
and Gazi Yaşargil were best friends during their years in Ankara Atatürk Lisesi.
External links
- M. Gazi Yasargil:Neurosurgery's Man of the Century. - biographi article featured in Neurosurgery (journal)Neurosurgery (journal)Neurosurgery is a monthly peer reviewed medical journal of neurosurgery and the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. It is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins...
. 45(5):1010, November 1999