Personal recollections of Walter E. Dandy and his Brain Team

Abstract

Walter Edward Dandy (1886-1946) began his surgical training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1910 and joined the faculty in 1918. During the next 28 years at Johns Hopkins, Dandy established a neurosurgery residency training program that was initially part of the revolutionary surgical training system established by William S. Halsted but eventually became a separate entity. Dandy's residents were part of his "Brain Team," a highly efficient organization that allowed Dandy to perform over 1000 operations per year, not counting ventriculograms. This team also provided rigorous training in the Halsted mold for the neurosurgical residents. Although exacting and demanding, Dandy was universally admired by his residents and staff. This article describes Dandy's neurosurgical residency program at Johns Hopkins, and provides personal recollections of training under Walter Dandy.