Neurosurgery in Romania in the centenary of the Great Union (1918-2018).

Neurosurgery is one of the newest medical specialties in the world, having less than 100 years since its definition as a stand-alone surgical specialty by Harvey Cushing (1869-1939). Its emergence required several special prerequisites, which were met only in the mid-19th century: knowledge of neuroanatomy, function of nervous centers and main cortical area topography, standard asepsis-antisepsis rules, neuroimaging, safe and longer general anesthesia, hemostasis and coagulation techniques and of course knowledgeable, skillful and bold surgeons. The emergence of neurosurgery in Romania has a profound bivalent origin: French and American. The first Romanian neurosurgical center was founded by Alexandru Moruzzi, in 1933, in Iasi. He was a direct student of the first French neurosurgeon Thierry de Martel, in Paris. The other neurosurgical center in Romania was founded by Dumitru Bagdasar, in 1935, in Bucharest. He studied directly under the first neurosurgeon in the world: Harvey Cushing (Boston, USA). Considering their success and international recognition against tremendous odds, the founding fathers of Romanian neurosurgery represent an example of intelligence, skill, courage and dedication for all future neurosurgeons.