Francesco Durante and the first intracranial tumor successfully operated on with long survival (1884)

Francesco Durante was born in Sicily, precisely Letojanni Gallodoro. He contributed to the history of neurosurgery in not only Italy but the whole world. In June 1884, he removed a left frontal meningioma, describing a personal technique of craniotomy with a discontinuous osteotangential section flap. It was the first such operation to be performed in any country after which the patient had a long survival. The important and pioneering contribution made by Durante to the history of neurosurgery is testified by his Treaty on Pathology and Surgical Therapy. Durante's procedure for craniotomy remained the best for several years. His contributions are still valid in medicine today, within not only the neurosurgical community but also other surgical disciplines, because he also developed innovative practices in the fields of oncology, general surgery, and orthopedics in addition to designing special surgical instruments.