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Your Freaky Music-and-Medicine Post of the Day Involves Wide-Awake Brain Surgery and a Violin

Brain surgery is awfully tricky, requiring a great, great deal of precision.  When a doctor has to remove something from inside your skull, you want to make sure that only the bad stuff is cut out. But how can you tell if you’re going too far into the surrounding grey matter?

I remember reading a quote in a story on brain surgery that came from one doctor when he asked for some suction to clear his field of vision.  With each cell that was sucked away, something went permanently missing.  When the blood and matter was gone, he remarked “There go the violin lessons.”

One way to keep from screwing up is to keep the patient awake and aware throughout the operation.  That way if you’re poking into some vital circuitry, you immediately know if you’re into dangerous territory.  This is what surgeons did with concert violinist Roger Frisch.  Watch.

More at Endgadget.  Thanks to John for the link.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37925 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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