Neurological Conditions in Children

It is indeed with great pleasure that neurologists of Canada have accepted the invitation of the Academy to participate in its meeting in Toronto and we take this occasion to express our sincere welcome to all our colleagues from south of the border. When Dr. Orr asked me to organize this Symposium, he added that he would like it to be an “all Canadian show.’ ‘ I objected seriously to usurping the program in this manner and not inviting several outstanding speakers from among our colleagues in the United States who would have added greatly to this program. But finally we have yielded to Dr. Orr’s persuasiveness in giving you a sample of some of the work being done in this country. We have the good fortune of possessing, in Canada, a Neurological Institute which is rapidly becoming a Canadian National Institute, established in Montreal under the direction of Dr. Wilder Penfield, who is to participate in the Symposium today, speaking on his favourite subject, epilepsy, with particular emphasis on a new conception of focal epilepsy in children. Dr. William Hawke, of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, whom we like to claim as an adopted member of the staff of the Montreal Neurological Institute, will present some of the results of his life long studies of behaviour problems in children. Dr. McEachern, who was unable to attend this meeting because of ill health, has been replaced by Dr. Rabinovitch, who will present a summary of his extensive experience in the study of neuromuscular diseases, a subject which presents puzzling problems to most pediatricians. Following Dr. Penfield’s presentation of a neurosurgical approach to epilepsy in children, I shall try to present a somewhat different point of view concerning the use of electroencephalography in the diagnosis and management of epileptic patients and Drs. McNaughton and Robb will give us their experience in the medical management of epilepsy. We sincerely hope that you may gain something of interest and value to pediatric neurology from the experience of your Canadian colleagues who are to participate in this Symposium.