In the great progress of medicine and surgery during the last half century the development of special fields has been one of the outstanding features. Medicine and surgery have branched out into a number of special activities which are still attached to the parent stem by tradition and practice. Such specialties are built around certain organs and systems of the body, certain diseases and even a specialized therapeutic technic. This concentration of effort has resulted in great progress, but it has tended to narrow the point of view so that what has been gained in depth has been lost in breadth. Today, however, there is a tendency both in teaching and in practice to seek a broader outlook and to avoid the pitfalls of an early and too narrow specialization.
Of all the specialties, that of the nervous system is the most important and the most difficult to master, because