A A L A M D B, N (1902-1956) : N Ccount of The Ife and Chievements of ISS Iana ECK Eurosurgeon
A A L A M D B, N (1902-1956) : N Ccount of The Ife and Chievements of ISS Iana ECK Eurosurgeon
N
eurosurgery has always been dominated by men. In London. She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate
the United States, approximately 5.9% of practicing general surgical training at the Royal Free Hospital and then
neurosurgeons and 10% of neurosurgical residents are attended the London School of Medicine for Women. During
women (19, 20), with the rate of increase in female trainees lag- this time, she earned many prizes, distinctions, and fellow-
ging behind that seen in most other specialties (10). The figures ships of the English and Edinburgh Royal Colleges and devel-
are similar in the United Kingdom. Women account for 4.5% of oped a flair for teaching.
the consultant members of the Society of British Unusual for the time period, Miss Beck chose to specialize in
Neurosurgeons and 11.8% of the trainees. Therefore, on begin- neurosurgery and took up an apprenticeship with Sir Hugh
ning my training at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, England, it Cairns in Oxford in 1939, shortly before the start of the Second
came as something of a surprise to find that one of the found- World War. Cairns, one of the founders of British neurosurgery
ing consultants was female. According to Sir Geoffrey Jefferson had been trained by Harvey Cushing and William Halstead; he
(14, 15), Diana Beck was the only female neurosurgeon of her passed his “Halstead Cushing Technique” on to his appren-
era and probably the first in Western Europe or North tice. In Miss Beck, Cairns found a very able and experienced
America. surgeon who was devoted to him and became a lifelong friend
to both himself and his family (15). He acknowledged her
Early Career teaching ability, putting her in charge of the introductory
Diana Jean Kinloch Beck (Fig. 1) was born in 1902 in the his- course in clinical surgery, and she was one of the few col-
toric city of Chester in northwest England. The daughter of a leagues with whom he would “let his hair down” (13). At
tailor, she spent her childhood in Chester and was educated at Diana Beck’s invitation, Cairns delivered his final lecture to
The Queen’s School before going on to study medicine in the students of The Middlesex Hospital.
the cranium), and limited investigations (i.e., lumbar punc- cerebrospinal fluid at high pressure; the patient was discharged
ture, direct carotid/vertebral arteriograms, and air ventriculo- symptom-free 4 weeks after his surgery.
grams). One must also remember that neurosurgery was in its By October 1938, he was experiencing severe hydrocephalic
infancy and a patient with a probable intracerebral hemor- attacks with headaches, vomiting, neck stiffness, bradycardia,
rhage may not have prompted an automatic neurosurgical increased tension at the subtemporal decompression, agitation,
referral. Miss Beck would have had to educate and inform and generalized seizures that were followed by a temporary
local physicians of her service. left hemiplegia. Repeated ventricular and lumbar punctures
were performed. The cerebrospinal fluid became increasingly
Neurosurgical Practice in the Mid-20th Century bloodstained with an intracranial pressure of 600 mm. The cler-
Surgical practice in the 1940s and 1950s was essentially based gyman died in November 1938, and an autopsy revealed a
on anecdote and past experience. Diana Beck’s later publica- 1.5-cm mixed glioma/oligoastrocytoma with a central area of
tions (3, 4, 6, 11), such as her seminal paper on the management anaplastic change in the ventromedial wall of the left ventricle.
of intracerebral hematomas, essentially comprised detailed case There were tumor nodules throughout the lateral ventricles,
reports illustrated with angiograms and pictures of surgical fourth ventricle, and spinal canal. It is not surprising that there
approaches. They act as a stark reminder of how our specialty was evidence of raised intracranial pressure with brain herni-
has changed. These accounts would have been a much easier ation and flattening of the sulci.
read with the benefit of the Glasgow Coma Scale and highlight
the dramatic development in neuroradiology. Diana Beck: Surgeon and Lady
This is well illustrated in one of Miss Beck’s case reports of It is easy to be critical of what seems to be such primitive
a 29-year-old clergyman who initially presented in 1931 with practice from the perspective of neurosurgery in the 21st
attacks in which he “lost the thread of what he was saying, century. However, this was heroic, groundbreaking surgery
and at times saw lights on the right hand side and experi- at the time. As a surgeon, Diana Beck was well respected by
enced an unpleasant taste” (7, p 352). By 1934, he was experi- her colleagues. Accounts in her obituaries (2, 14, 15) describe
encing headaches lasting up to 18 hours and associated with an original, confident, sound, gifted, professional surgeon
nausea, vomiting, unpleasant taste sensations, difficulty with and an excellent doctor who retained her poise and was
word finding and reading, and a tingling sensation in the always considerate.
mouth and hands. When he had a generalized seizure in 1935 In one of his contributions, Sir Geoffrey Jefferson wrote:
and his symptoms were so bad that he was forced to stop “She was not a brilliant operator, but then brilliance has fortu-
preaching, he was referred to the neurosurgical unit at Oxford. nately departed from our operating rooms” (15, p 635). By
A thorough examination by Mr. Cairns and Dr. Riddoch, who brilliance, he meant “showy amateur.” In fact, this was one of
later became chief consultant neurologist to the War Office, many compliments. Jefferson was particularly impressed with
revealed some relative anosmia of the left nostril and a right the way she took on and won the respect of the male enclave
facial weakness. A lumbar puncture revealed a “resting pres- that was the Middlesex Hospital. “Had Diana been other than
sure” of more than 300 mm and a high cerebrospinal fluid she was, she might have overplayed her hand, have showed
protein level of 200 mg percent. A subsequent ventriculogram triumphant signs of a militant feminist. The case was far from
showed dilatation of the third and lateral ventricles and an otherwise, she used her opportunities with modesty and good
indentation of the lower border of the body of the left ventri- sense and rapidly became a favorite of staff and students” (15,
cle, which was interpreted as an inoperable tumor. This p 635). She was so popular, in fact, that her Saturday rounds
prompted a subtemporal decompression followed by “peri- allegedly competed with the weekend plans of her students at
odic courses of deep x-ray treatment,” which seemed to The Middlesex Hospital (15).
improve the situation. During the subsequent year, the clergy- Rather than a bullish feminist, the accounts talk of “fastidious
man had only one attack of headache with vomiting and femininity” and a lady of small stature, whose “surroundings
returned to work. However, by 1937, his sermons deteriorated were as elegant and tasteful as her own personal attire” (14).
and another ventriculogram showed that the ventricular defect Her secret seemed to be an infectious, enthusiastic personality
had enlarged. On this occasion, he had a severe reaction to the mixed with a genuine interest in people and a remarkable
procedure and became aphasic, with a right hemiparesis, capacity for friendship, which won the confidence of her
reduced conscious level, and bradycardia. Fortunately, he patients, colleagues, and students. However, she was no
improved over the subsequent 2 days but was left with persist- walkover: “she did not hesitate when the occasion arose to
ing dyslexia, mental dullness, and an attention defect in the express her views forcibly and fearlessly” (15, p 635). An anes-
left lower temporal quadrant of the visual field. thetist reports going to “extraordinary lengths” to avoid leaving
With what appeared to be an expanding intraventricular her operating theater during long procedures (D Cope, personal
tumor, a “left posterior osteoplastic exploration” was per- communication, 2007). Although she was felt to have done an
formed in November 1937. The tumor could not be located, excellent job managing the clinical surgery course at Oxford, the
and the patient developed global aphasia with apraxia and a Oxford students allegedly hated her “martinet ways” (13).
right homonymous hemianopia postoperatively. This was suc- Diana Beck never married. She was devoted to her two broth-
cessfully treated with daily lumbar punctures of bloodstained ers and their families and was severely affected when her favorite
nephew developed a high spinal injury 2 years before her death. 8. Beck DJ, Russell DS: Experiments on thrombosis of the superior longitudinal
Outside of her work, she was a Catholic reader, created exquisite sinus. J Neurosurg 3:337–347, 1946.
9. Beck DJ, Russell DS, Small JM, Graham MP: Implantation of acrylic-r discs in
needle work, and enjoyed flowers and art. However, her work
rabbits’ skulls. Br J Surg 33:83–86, 1945.
and her patients were her priorities (15). 10. Brotherton SE, Rockey PH, Etzel SI: US graduate medical education,
It is a cruel twist of fate that someone who contributed so 2003–2004. JAMA 292:1032–1037, 2004.
much to the development of neurosurgery in the United 11. de Donnan FS, Beck DJ: Diagnostic problems: Subarachnoid haemorrhage
and hypertension in a case of coarctation of the aorta. Arch Midd Hosp
Kingdom should develop a neurological disease. Her myas-
4:144–146, 1954.
thenia gravis was initially diagnosed as “hysteria” (R Maurice- 12. Duncan N: Caring Physicians of the World. New York, Pfizer Medical
Williams, personal communication, 2005). With such a condi- Humanities Initiative, 2005, pp 44–45.
tion, there were some skeptics “who doubted whether her 13. Fraenkel GJ: Hugh Cairns, First Nuffield Professor of Surgery, University of
stamina was sufficient to stand the rigours of the creation and Oxford. New York, Oxford University Press, 1991, pp 145, 162.
14. Jefferson G, Anonymous: Miss Diana Beck: Obituary. The Times. March 6,
running of a neurosurgical service” (15, p 635). There is men- 1956.
tion of her finding long cases an increasing physical strain, and 15. Jefferson G, Emergency Medical Service, Anonymous: Diana JK Beck, MB.,
her physical tiredness after her North American tour. However, FRCS: Obituary. BMJ 1:634–635, 1956.
her ill health did not seem to compromise her ability to fulfill 16. Russell DS, Beck DJ: Histological effects of sulphonamide-proflavine mix-
tures in the rabbit: Some experimental observations. BMJ 1:112–113, 1944.
her responsibilities. At the beginning of 1956, Miss Beck had a 17. Russell DS, Beck DJ: Local action of penicillin and sulphamezathine and a
myaesthenic crisis. A thymectomy was performed, from which penicillin-sulphamezathine mixture on rabbit brain. Lancet 1:497–498, 1945.
she made a good recovery before she developed a pulmonary 18. Thwaite A: AA Milne: His Life. London, Faber and Faber, 1990, pp 480–484.
embolism and died on March 3, 1956. 19. Ullman JS: A balanced workforce, a balanced life. WINS newsletter, Spring
2007. http://www.neurosurgerywins.org/news/newsletter/wins_spring
Was Diana Beck the first female neurosurgeon? She was cer-
2007.pdf. Accessed 2/2/08.
tainly the first and only female neurosurgeon in Western 20. Woodrow SI, Gilmer-Hill H, Rutka JT: The neurosurgical workforce in North
Europe and North America (14, 15), and it appears from America: A critical review of gender issues. Neurosurgery 59:749–755, 2006.
searching the literature that she was probably the first in the
world. Sofia Ionescu (nee Ogrezeanu), the first female neuro- Acknowledgment
surgeon in Romania, has been reported as possibly the first I thank Jane Sweetland, M.S., librarian, for her enthusiastic assistance.
female neurosurgeon in the world (12). However, she followed
Miss Beck by almost a generation, qualifying from medical COMMENTS
school in 1945.
CONCLUSION
T his is an informative and interesting historical vignette about an
obscure pioneer in the field of neurosurgery. The author provides a
concise, well-written biographical note on Miss Diana Beck, who is
recognized here as the first female neurosurgeon in the world. As a
Since the mid-20th century, the roles of and opportunities
woman neurosurgeon myself, I read this biography with great interest,
for women have changed dramatically. Despite this, however, wishing that some of the details of her personal life were described in
very few enter the demanding subspecialty of neurosurgery. more depth. It is clear from reading this article that Miss Beck was not
Diana Beck’s achievements are astonishing from today’s per- just “a first” in a male-dominated profession, but was, above all, a ded-
spective. Despite suffering from myasthenia gravis, she icated and highly respected neurosurgeon who “won the respect of
achieved many firsts: she was the first neurosurgeon at The the male enclave” that was neurosurgery in the 20th century. Rather
Middlesex Hospital and the first woman to break into the male than being a “militant feminist” who overplayed her hand, she “used
enclaves of The Middlesex Hospital and the field of neuro- her opportunities with modesty” to gain the respect of her male col-
surgery in Western Europe, North America, and possibly the leagues. Her achievements serve to remind us that hard work and ded-
ication, not gender, should be the determining factors of success in the
world. This was accomplished by single-minded determina-
field of neurosurgery.
tion and devotion to her work and patients, which won the
admiration and respect of her colleagues. Linda M. Liau
Los Angeles, California
REFERENCES
1. Anonymous: AA Milne: Obituary. The Times. February 1, 1956.
T his contribution is of considerable interest to the history of neuro-
surgery in the United Kingdom in the mid-20th century. Two of my
older colleagues, who were trainees at the time, remember Miss Beck
2. Anonymous: Miss Diana Beck: Obituary. The Lancet 270:323, 1956.
3. Beck DJ: Upper parietal meningioma showing Foster Kennedy Syndrome. while she was a consultant neurosurgeon at the Middlesex Hospital,
Bristol Med-Chir J 64:11–12, 1947. London, in the early 1950s with great respect. Although it is difficult
4. Beck DJ: Malignant dumb-bell neurofibromata. Arch Midd Hosp 2:88–97, to prove, she may have been the first qualified female neurosurgeon in
1952. the world.
5. Beck DJ: The surgical treatment of intracerebral haemorrhage. Arch Midd
David G.T. Thomas
Hospital 3:150–160, 1953.
6. Beck DJ: Intracranial haemorrhage in closed head injuries. Arch Midd
London, England
Hospital 4:231–255, 1954.
7. Beck DJ, Russell DS: Oligodendromatosis of the cerebrospinal pathway. Brain
65:352–372, 1942. W omen in neurosurgery in the mid-portion of the last century
were truly a rare phenomenon. As the author has pointed out,
even in the 21st century the numbers remain less than 10%. In review- accounts she was intrepid in undertaking complex cases and was
ing this article, the author brings to our attention a clearly gifted lady respected by her colleagues.
who went on to become a full-time neurosurgical consultant in As our profession slowly grows older, remembering the origins of
England, a task that would prove to be quite daunting, but having said the young specialty of neurosurgery becomes increasingly important.
that, she clearly accomplished her goals and became part of main- Ms. Beck chose the field of neurosurgery at a time when there were few
stream neurosurgery in England. I particularly enjoyed the insights neurosurgical role models. Her apprenticeship with Dr. Hugh Cairns
into this woman’s personality and relationship with her peers and was obviously crucial to her development as a neurosurgeon, and it
family. In a review of Ms. Beck’s contributions to the literature and was probably this mentorship that allowed her to thrive and succeed.
neurosurgery, she was clearly a woman of significant achievements. I suggest that at a time when we are increasingly asking ourselves
An additional insight was knowing that Ms. Beck trained under Hugh about the 52% of the medical school class that are women, we should
Cairns, one of the giants in neurosurgery, so being able to read his remember the role that mentoring plays in the development of young
comments was most interesting. In this article, the author has pre- neurosurgeons. As we seek to diversify and expand the talent pool for
sented an interesting contemporary picture of what it was like to be neurosurgery, it is usually mentorship that inspires and leads individ-
the first “female” neurosurgeon in England and how well she handled uals from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in neurosurgery.
the various challenges; hence, she should be credited as being the This article reminds us that neurosurgery is certainly not for the
“first female neurosurgeon.” faint of heart and that Ms. Beck continued the traditions of most pres-
ent-day, able neurosurgeons. Her publications regarding intracerebral
James T. Goodrich hematomas suggest that she was appropriately aggressive and always
Bronx, New York thinking about the final outcome for the patient. She was also strong
willed in her governance over her service, and by all accounts did an
excellent job with respect to such governance. Her career reminds us
I n this article, Gilkes presents us with an account of the life and
achievements of Ms. Diane Beck, who is most likely the first woman
to have been called a neurosurgeon. This article provides a nice review
once again that diversity in the neurosurgical workforce is best
achieved by teaching and mentoring and not mandate.
of her life and times, and one can only imagine the exceptional strength Karin Muraszko
of character Dr. Beck demonstrated to become a neurosurgeon. By all Ann Arbor, Michigan