Von Bergmann, Kocher, and Krönlein--a triumvirate of pioneers with a common neurosurgical concept.

BACKGROUND: The rise of a neurosurgical subspecialisation in general surgery was strongly influenced by some key surgeons. In the German-speaking regions of Europe, Ernst von Bergmann, Emil Theodor Kocher and Rudolf Ulrich Krönlein have to be especially highlighted. METHODS: This article describes their contributions to the neurosurgical field and their personal interactions. For this, the numerous publications on cranial neurosurgery of von Bergmann were reviewed. They are presented in chronological order. Kocher's and Krönlein's contributions to early neurosurgery have been valued recently by the authors and are briefly summarized. RESULTS: All three developed early interest in the neurosurgical field and conducted clinical and experimental research at the turn of the twentieth century. It becomes evident that von Bergmann, Kocher and Krönlein provided a basis for a transnational neurosurgical school. CONCLUSION: This triumvirate developed a common neurosurgical concept that was grounded in the physiological experiments and scientific evidence.