The Gentle Giant: Kenneth Daniel Blackfan and his contributions to pediatric neurosurgery

Kenneth Daniel Blackfan’s medical career spanned several disciplines. After initially working as a bacteriologist in Albany immediately after graduating medical school, he joined his father in general practice in New York. Blackfan subsequently underwent pediatric residency training at three different hospitals: (1) The St. Vincent’s Foundling Hospital in Philadelphia, (2) Washington University in St. Louis, and (3) Johns Hopkins Hospital. He subsequently was appointed Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati from where he moved on to become Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Thomas Morgan Rotch Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. A common theme throughout Blackfan’s career was his acumen for scientific research and its application to the practice of pediatrics. From his work on the clinical detection of thrombosis of the cerebral venous sinuses to his legendary experiments on CSF flow, Blackfan’s contributions to neurosurgery came at a time when neurosurgery was evolving into a specialty in itself. Also notable are his personal friendships withWalter Dandy and Harvey Cushing, the two leading neurosurgeons of his era.