Intracranial Aneurysms

In his Preface, Dr. Fox has quoted Cannon Professor Fox has undertaken the monumental task of compiling the available data on intracra- and Rosenblueth in questioning where to stop nial arterial aneurysms. The magnitude and ex- the record. One can only document progress tent of the undertaking attest to the tremen- to date-and certainly the advances in this field dous amount of information which has are noteworthy-and then make some cau- accumulated in the past few decades and to tious predictions for the future. They have cor- the accelerated pace at which the field has ex- rectly made note that the overall morbidity panded, particularly since the end of World and mortality of these aneurysm patients re- War II. mains unacceptably high, largely as a result of Our heritage can be traced to many sources, the secondary complications of the subarach- among whom should be mentioned such nota- noid hemorrhage itself. More attention should bles as Willis, Quincke, Blackall, Moniz, Dott, be directed in the future to the recognition of Dandy, Hounsfield, and others.The modern era those patients with unruptured aneurysms and includes a number of investigators and clini- those with minimal bleeds. Hopefully infor- cians, some of whom have contributed to this mation will be forthcoming as to which indi- magnificent tome. The bibliography of over viduals are at risk because of some unusual con- 4000 references represents the increasing in- genital, metabolic, or acquired defect.