RT Journal A1 McKENZIE KG T1 THe treatment of abscess of the brain JF Archives of Surgery JO Archives of Surgery YR 1929 FD April 1 VO 18 IS 4 SP 1594 OP 1620 DO 10.1001/archsurg.1929.01140130692045 UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1929.01140130692045 AB Life is shortAnd the art long.The occasion instant,Experiment perilous,Decision difficult.The foregoing aphorism of Hipprocrates occupies a prominent place above the door of the Harvard Medical School and can be plainly seen from the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In common with many other former members of the hospital staff, I have a photographic copy of this bit of philosophy hanging in my office, as a memento of happy days spent in that institution. It may seem a far cry from this to cerebral abscess, and yet, when one is face to face with patients suffering from abscess of the brain, the aphorism seems especially applicable. How difficult, when dealing with a case to say—"This is the correct procedure"! When a patient dies, one usually feels that something different might have been done. In the succeeding pages, an attempt will be made to present some personal views