[Aarno Snellman, the pioneer of modern neurosurgery in Finland and the founder of the Neurosurgical Clinic of Helsinki University Hospital].
Aarno Snellman, M.D., (1893-1964) was the pioneer of modern neurosurgery in Finland and the founder of the Neurosurgical Clinic of Helsinki University Hospital. In 1932, at the initiative of Marshal Mannerheim, the Finnish Red Cross Hospital started functioning at Helsinki, with trauma as its focus of activity. From the outset, the main task of the hospital was to treat the brain injuries caused by traffic accidents in the capital and its environment. With a view to improving the prognosis of the patients, the medical staff took an active interest in the achievements of foreign neurosurgeons. Assistant Surgeon Aarno Snellman had been working at Prof. Herbert Olivecrona's Neurosurgical Clinic in Stockholm. After his return in 1935, he was the first to perform a craniotomy in Helsinki. When the war began in 1939, the development of neurosurgery was delayed by the lack of staff. On the other hand, the war provided a strong incentive for the development of independent neurosurgery. The military authorities favoured the Finnish Red Cross Hospital, all wounds to the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system being referred to its wards, which were superintended by Snellman. After the conclusion of peace, these wards were gradually transformed into an independent neurosurgical clinic led by Snellman. He was appointed Personal Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Helsinki in 1947. He retired from his post as Head of the clinic in 1961. Aarno Snellman's abundant achievements include the organization of treatment and after-care of the brain-injured war veterans in Finland.