Neurosurgery Resident Physician University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Disclosure(s):
Zachary Porter, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Introduction: Sir William Thornley Stoker was a surgical pioneer, and performed the first cases of Neurosurgery in Ireland, with the exception of trephining. He applied Sir David Ferrier’s Cortical Mapping to localize tumors, hemorrhages, and abscesses. Bram Stoker recognized the talents and knowledge of his surgeon brother, and consulted him for his novel, Dracula (1897).
Methods: Information was acquired through literature, Rosenbach Museum, Trinity College in Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and the Bram Stoker Estate. 20 articles by Sir Thornley and 50 papers mentioning Sir Thornley were reviewed.
Results: Sir Thornley’s memorandums provided scientific authority for Dracula. Bram used his brother’s detailed descriptions of brain surgery to describe Professor Van Helsing’s (surgeon/vampire hunter) elevation of a depressed skull fracture and evacuation of a “subcranial hemorrhage” from Renfield, who had been dealt an injury by Count Dracula. Van Helsing declared, “we must reduce the pressure and get back to normal conditions, as far as can be; the rapidity of the suffusion shows the terrible nature of his injury. The whole motor area seems to be affected. The suffusion of the brain will increase quickly, so we must trephine at once or it will be too late… we must most quickly and perfectly remove the blood clot; for it is evident that the haemorrhage is increasing.” Without Sir Thornley’s input, Bram would never have been able to detail this dramatic scene.
Conclusion : Sir Thornley Stoker was an early Neurosurgical pioneer and a distinguished scholar. He became President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and President of the Royal Academy of Medicine. He had a special interest in “spino-cerebral surgery,” and contributed to its advancement. However, his lasting work is found in Dracula. Neurosurgery is forever a part of the most famous of Bram Stoker’s novels, Dracula.
