[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S163-S164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. M. GAZI YASARGIL

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the achievements of a distinguished member of the Arkansas medical 
community. Dr. M. Gazi Yasargil is recognized worldwide for his work in 
the field of Neurosurgery and we in Arkansas are fortunate to benefit 
from his talents. Dr. Yasargil's contributions to his field were 
recently acclaimed when Neurosurgery, the official journal of the 
Congress of Neurological Surgeons, recognized him as ``The Man of the 
Century.'' This honor acknowledges Dr. Yasargil's significant impact on 
the field of neurosurgery in the second half of the 20th century.
  Professor Yasargil received his medical degree from the University of 
Basel, Switzerland, in 1950. Following his residency in neuroanatomy, 
psychiatry and neurology, internal medicine and general surgery, he 
began his training in neurosurgery in 1953 with Professor H. Krayenbuhl 
at the University Hospital, Zurich.
  During the first decade of his career Professor Yasargil was involved 
with the development of cerebral angiography, publishing two monographs 
with his teacher, Professor H. Krayenbuhl. He introduced stereotactic 
surgery and high-frequency coagulation technique into Switzerland and 
operated on 800 patients for movement disorders. Additionally, Yasargil 
routinely performed all types of conventional neurosurgical procedures 
on both children and adults. Professor Yasargil spent 14 months in 
1965-66 with Professor RMP Donaghy, in the Neurosurgical Department, 
University of Burlington, Vermont, where he learned microsurgical 
techniques in the animal laboratory, and developed microvascular 
surgery of brain arteries in animals. Upon his return to Zurich he 
began to apply the microtechnique to the entire field of neurosurgery. 
He developed the counter balanced operating microscope and numerous 
microsurgical instruments and vascular clips; he pioneered 
microsurgical approaches and treatments for occluded brain arteries, 
intracranial aneurysms, AVMs, caveronmas, and extrinsic and intrinsic 
tumors of the brain and spinal cord, in 7000 adults and 400 children. 
His surgical experiences have been published in 330 papers. The six 
volume publication Microneurosurgery is the comprehensive review of his 
broad experiences.
  In 1973, Professor Yasargil became Chairman and Director of the 
Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Zurich, until his 
retirement in 1993. He was President of the Neurosurgical Society of 
Switzerland 1973-75. Professor Yasargil has been awarded with honorary 
medical degrees by the Universities of Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey, 
also with honorary citizenship of Austin, Texas, and Urgup, Turkey, and 
honorary membership in 15 international medical societies. Professor 
Yasargil has received major awards and prizes including the highly 
regarded Marcel Benoit Prize from the Swiss Federal Government in 1975, 
Medal of Honor of the University of Naples, Italy, in 1988, Gold Medal 
of the World Federation of Neurological Societies in 1997, and he was 
honored as ``Neurosurgeon of the Century'' by the Brazilian 
Neurosurgical Society in 1998.

[[Page S164]]

  In 1994 Professor Yasargil accepted an appointment as Professor of 
Neurosurgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) 
in Little Rock where today he is active in the practice of 
microneurosurgery, research, and teaching. At UAMS, Dr. Yasargil has 
consistently provided superior treatment and care, attracting patients 
from all over the world. At the same time, he has continued to guide 
ground-breaking research initiatives and develop innovative surgical 
procedures.
  Madam President, I take great pride in recognizing Dr. Yasargil's 
contributions to the quality of the lives of so many people in my home 
state and others around the world. I am equally proud of the quality 
care and cutting edge medical service the people at the University of 
Arkansas Medical Sciences provide so that Dr. Yasargil can share his 
talents. UAMS has been the state's primary source for healthcare 
education, biomedical and biotechnology research and clinical care for 
more than 100 years. The quality work and service that UAMS and Dr. 
Yasargil continue to provide should be a great source of pride for 
Arkansans.

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