Injury of the spinal cord has been known since antiquity. There is no cure for the injury and until modern times patients died rapidly from a combination of pressure sores and urinary tract infection. Treatment consists of preventing complications until the spine has stabilised and the patient can be rehabilitated to an independent life. History of the Treatment of Spinal Injuries explores how this treatment developed in the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, in Europe, Great Britain and latterly in the United States. It describes how these principles of treatment were recognised and explores the relationship and rivalry of the powerful personalities of the doctors who developed this treatment against the social background at different times.

From the reviews:

"In this book Dr Silver who has devoted his life to the treatment of spinal injuries achieves a unique balance of historical perspective and neurological expertise... Dr Silver worked with Dr Guttmann for four years and so developed the expertise to become the Consultant in charge of the Liverpool Regional Paraplegic Centre... I can commend this book highly both to neurologists and to students of medical history."
(From the Foreword by Sir Roger Bannister)

"This was a thoroughly good read which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in spinal cord injury."
(Lesley Casey, Alexander Harris)

"This book deserves a honoured position on the shelf of medical history and will be a stimulus to every doctor who is excited by the challenge of conditions for which no cure is currently available."
(M. Laurence, J Bone Joint Surg, 2004;86-B:1091.)

"This book deserves a wide readership."
(Mr. P. Edmond, J R Coll Surg Edinb Irel 2:3;185-186.)

"This book catalogues nonoperative management for spinal injuries from antiquity through the 20^th century. The wealth of detail on rehabilitation techniques and practitioners will interest rehabilitation specialists and students of the history of medicine. ? By contrast, the best part of the volume will benefit all physicians. The book shows how Sir Ludwig Guttmann created the world's first comprehensive spine injury center." (Robert M. Crowell, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 293 (12), March, 2005)

"This is a history of physiotherapy in addition to a history of the treatment of spinal injuries and is as much about people as procedures. The text is divided up into clearly headed sections, which makes for quick reference and easy reading. It is extensively researched ? and is worldwide in its scope." (Laurence Dopson, Physiotherapy, Vol. 91, 2005)