From Russian Refugee to Iowa's First Neurosurgeon and Pioneer of Cranial Hemostasis: The Legacy of Anatole Kolodny (1892-1948).

Abstract

After immigrating to the United States from Russia in the wake of the First World War, Anatole Kolodny became the first surgeon in Iowa to specialize in neurological surgery. Kolodny was vital to the initial practice of neurosurgery in the state of Iowa and to the specific development of academic neurosurgery at the University of Iowa. In an effort to improve his surgical outcomes, Kolodny invented a hemostat that bears his name and is still used for cranial hemostasis. He also provided early outcomes of myelomenigocele repair and wrote extensively on bone sarcoma. Kolodny's achievements brought favorable attention to the university and altered the course of neurosurgery at the University of Iowa. Of significant importance, Kolodny influenced and trained Iowa's second neurosurgeon, Olan Hyndman, and this action led the way to the eventual recruitment of the university's first division head of neurosurgery. The purpose of this manuscript is to shed light on Kolodny's important contributions to the development of neurosurgery not only at Iowa, but also in the profession as a whole.