In 1924, when neurology was still in its infancy and brain surgery was more of a death sentence than a cure, Dr. Wilder Penfield met Dr. William Cone at New York City's Presbyterian Hospital. The two men, who could not have been more different in personality or appearance, were quickly drawn to each other by their fascination with the "unknown country" of the brain. Globe and Mail journalist Eric Andrew-Gee unfurls a rich history of the partnership that birthed the world-renowned Montreal Neurological Institute and revolutionized the study of the human mind. While Cone handled the majority of the patient load at The Neuro, spending long hours at bedsides and in surgery, Penfield pursued loftier goals of discovering the seat of consciousness. He would go on to develop The Montreal procedure for treating epilepsy, which became a global gold standard and advanced the mapping of the brain, particularly our modern understanding of memory, executive function, and thought. Under Penfield and Cone's leadership, The Neuro grew into a hotbed for neurological advancement, attracting men and women from across the globe to a thriving mid-century Montreal, including the first Chinese, Indian, Arab, and African-American neurosurgeons. But it was at the cost of their friendship, which became fraught with personal and professional hurts ... and suddenly ended when Cone was found dead in his office at the age of 62.
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