The birth of human stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic surgery began with the Horsley-Clarke apparatus which has been used in animal research since 1908. In 1947, Spiegel and Wycis introduced stereotactic surgery in human patients. Their initial choice of target involved the extrapyramidal system, which Russell Meyers had recently performed with craniotomy and manual lesions that might alleviate symptoms of movement disorders, albeit with significant morbidity and mortality, a problem not seen with stereotactic surgery.