The History of Brain Injury Rehabilitation

This lecture traces the history of brain injury rehabilitation from Ancient Egypt to the present day. It begins with the Ancient Egyptians’ remarkable descriptions of severe brain injury, including the first known use of the word “brain” in any language, before moving through key developments in treatment and rehabilitation. The talk explores significant figures including Broca, Kurt Goldstein, Luria, Oliver Zangwill, Diller, Ben-Yishay and Prigatano, and considers why war has so often acted as a catalyst for advances in rehabilitation. It also highlights the international and collaborative nature of progress in this important field.

Bio:

Barbara Wilson is a clinical neuropsychologist who has worked in brain injury rehabilitation for 45 years. She has published 35 books, 207 peer reviewed papers, 128 chapters and 8 neuropsychological tests. For many years she was editor of the journal Neuropsychological Rehabilitation which she founded in 1991. She has 5 lifetime achievement awards and founded the Oliver Zangwill Centre for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in 1996.