Penfield and the Founding of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness

ABSTRACT: As conceived by Wilder Penfield the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) integrated neurology, neurosurgery, and allied disciplines within a single institution, where research and teaching complemented patient care. The MNI’s success influenced the creation of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NINDB), as Pearce Bailey, its first Director, sought to replicate the MNI’s clinical and research model. He turned to MNI trainees Maitland Baldwin and Milton Shy to head the NINDB’s Surgical and Medical Neurology Branches, respectively. They in turn recruited other MNI trainees who continued their work at the NINDB bringing clinical neuroscience to the USA.