National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
Encyclopedia
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (informally the NHNN, The National or Queen Square) is a neurological hospital in London
, United Kingdom
and part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
. It was the first hospital to be established in England
dedicated exclusively to treating the diseases of the nervous system
.
It is closely associated with University College London
(UCL) and in partnership with the UCL Institute of Neurology
, which occupies the same site, is a major centre for neuroscience research. It supports the Sir William Gowers
Epilepsy Assessment Unit at the National Society for Epilepsy
Centre at Chalfont St Peter
, Buckinghamshire
. The NHNN also runs The National Hospital Development Foundation, a charity
dedicated to supporting the Hospital for the funding of equipment, buildings and research.
The hospital is located on Queen Square in the Bloomsbury
area of Central London
.
of the time worked at The National, including John Hughlings Jackson
, David Ferrier
, MacDonald Critchley
, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
, William Allen Sturge
(discoverer of the Sturge-Weber syndrome
), Sir Roger Bannister
and many others.
The hospital became part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
in 1996.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises the Eastman Dental Hospital, The Heart Hospital, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Royal London Hospital for...
. It was the first hospital to be established in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
dedicated exclusively to treating the diseases of the nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
.
It is closely associated with University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
(UCL) and in partnership with the UCL Institute of Neurology
UCL Institute of Neurology
The UCL Institute of Neurology is an institute within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London and is located in London, United Kingdom...
, which occupies the same site, is a major centre for neuroscience research. It supports the Sir William Gowers
William Richard Gowers
Sir William Richard Gowers was a British neurologist.The Gowers' tract is named after him....
Epilepsy Assessment Unit at the National Society for Epilepsy
National Society for Epilepsy
The Epilepsy Society is the largest medical charity in the field of epilepsy in the United Kingdom, providing services for people with epilepsy for over 100 years...
Centre at Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The NHNN also runs The National Hospital Development Foundation, a charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
dedicated to supporting the Hospital for the funding of equipment, buildings and research.
The hospital is located on Queen Square in the Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
area of Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
.
History
The hospital was founded in 1859 and originally called The National Hospital for Diseases of the Nervous System including Paralysis and Epilepsy. It was merged in 1948 with the Maida Vale Hospital for Nervous Diseases (originally called The London Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis), which in turn owed its foundation in 1866 to a German, Julius Althaus (1833–1900). Great neurologistsNeurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
of the time worked at The National, including John Hughlings Jackson
John Hughlings Jackson
John Hughlings Jackson, FRS , was an English neurologist.- Biography :He was born at Providence Green, Green Hammerton, near Harrogate, Yorkshire, the youngest son of Samuel Jackson, a yeoman who owned and farmed his land, and the former Sarah Hughlings, the daughter of a Welsh revenue collector...
, David Ferrier
David Ferrier
Sir David Ferrier, FRS was a pioneering Scottish neurologist and psychologist.-Life:Ferrier was born in Woodside, Aberdeen and educated at Aberdeen Grammar School before studying for an MA at Aberdeen University...
, MacDonald Critchley
MacDonald Critchley
Macdonald Critchley CBE was a British neurologist. He was former president of the World Federation of Neurology, and the author of over 200 published articles on neurology and 20 books, including The Parietal Lobes , Aphasiology, and biographies of James Parkinson and Sir William Gowers.Macdonald...
, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard FRS , also known as Charles Edward, was a Mauritian physiologist and neurologist who, in 1850, became the first to describe what is now called Brown-Séquard syndrome.-Early life:...
, William Allen Sturge
William Allen Sturge
William Allen Sturge was an English physician and archaeologist born in Bristol.After receiving his medical degree in 1873 from University College in London, Sturge became resident medical officer and later registrar at the National Hospital for Paralysis and Epilepsy...
(discoverer of the Sturge-Weber syndrome
Sturge-Weber syndrome
Sturge–Weber syndrome, sometimes referred to as encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis, is a rare congenital neurological and skin disorder. It is one of the phakomatoses and is often associated with port-wine stains of the face, glaucoma, seizures, mental retardation, and ipsilateral leptomeningeal...
), Sir Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...
and many others.
The hospital became part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises the Eastman Dental Hospital, The Heart Hospital, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Royal London Hospital for...
in 1996.