The personal and professional legacy of John Edwin Scarff

Abstract

Dear Sir, We read with appreciation the comprehensive article by Azab et al. about our father and grandfather, John Edwin Scarff.[1] We particularly respect their efforts in acknowledging the historical elements of his career and his contributions to neurosurgery. He was proud to have been associated with the early innovations of Walter Dandy, Harvey Cushing, and other pioneers, and frequently acknowledged their fundamental roles in his own accomplishments. He also enjoyed teaching and training the next generation of neurosurgeons throughout his academic career. He would be gratified to know how choroid plexus coagulation and endoscopic ventriculostomy have achieved recognition as contemporary neurosurgical procedures, due in great part to technological advances. He often spoke with pleasure and gratitude of his professional experiences traveling abroad. He enjoyed and benefited from his interaction with Neurological Surgeons in the Middle East, Central and South America, and Europe, and he related to us the Neurosurgical personalities, history, contributions, and techniques he encountered there. This thoughtful article honors him by highlighting his legacy as investigator, scientist, and physician that he embodied and passed on to future generations.