Lars Leksell was instrumental in stereotactic radiosurgery that he invented. Not only did he create stereotactic radiosurgery conceptionally, but, with the Gamma Knife, he also developed its technical prerequisites. Leksell died in 1986. Late in his life, he wrote the book “Brain fragments” in Swedish not as a true biography but as an episodic novel of his life. Hence, the current book is not new, but the current translation is. Leksell's son Dan translated his father's memories discretely but closely. These are the memories of one of the most formative neurosurgeons of the 20th century. In impressive simplicity and modesty, the stations of his life are shaped by the craftsmanship of the surgeon and by the creativity of the inventor, and are defined by the frustration and success of the academic neurosurgeon, all, by essence, being the expression of his joy of life. His ludic drive, courage, and the aesthetic of technical perfection were Leksell's incitement, which appear today as ingenious.

Leksell developed a stereotactic frame as early as 1948, invented surgical instruments, treated patients with the trigeminal neuralgia using an early form of radiosurgery in 1951, used ultrasound in neuro-traumatology in 1954, experimented with protons as early as 1958, and developed the Gamma Knife in 1967. Rather than showing “how I did it,” Leksell's book describes how life was when it happened. From neurosurgery during the Second World War to the international scientific exchange during the 1980s, a time of constant change and development comes back to life with human images of surgeons and scientists, some of them world famous, others forgotten today. Sometimes this time of substantial progress seems remote but resembles our days in many aspects.

While the book was written from the perspective of physician who formed the clinical reality of neurosurgery like only few others, it reflects the life of many during this time. Leksell did not accept the paradigms of his time; he debated the ethical aspects of clinical developments including the end of life. Leksell left the clinical ivory tower when in a political motion in 1958 he suggested the general measurement and limitation of speed in traffic from a neuro-traumatological point of view.

In his discussions around scientific development including academic profiling but even in many technical aspects concerning radiosurgery and stereotactic neurosurgery, the book reflects our current reality and provides a remote perspective on issues that continue to be relevant today.

Like flashlights, the episodes of this book draw a picture of a courageous man who refused to accept a priori conditions without questioning them and who truly loved life.

Bodo Lippitz

Received: 21 June 2022

Accepted: 28 June 2022

Article published online:
23 May 2023

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