Emil theodor kocher (1841-1917).

ABSTRACT

The year 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Nobel Prize to be awarded to a surgeon, Emil Theodor Kocher. Kocher was a surgical pioneer and in 1909 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his contributions to the understanding and treatment of the thyroid gland. What is lesser known are his contributions to neurosurgery. He published articles on traumatic epilepsy, brain damage and trepanation. Together with Harvey Cushing, they pioneered and expanded on research of the physiology of intracranial pressure, which led to the advent of the Cushing-Kocher theory.