THE NATURAL HISTORY OF HYDROCEPHALUS DETAILED ANALYSIS OF 182 UNOPERATED CASES BY

Few sights are more distressing than a child with severe hydrocephalus associated with mental and physical defect. These cases, and clinical accounts based on highly selected series, are probably respon-sible for the depressing descriptions found in most standard textbooks. Earlier one of the authors (K.M.L.), presenting the preliminary results of an investigation on the natural history of hydro-cephalus, suggested that the outlook in this con-dition was not without hope (Laurence, 1958). After further study those results have been reassessed and presented in greater detail. Material The investigation is based on the 239 cases of hydrocephalus under the age of 13 years, of whom 130 were males and 109 females. They were seen by Mr. Wylie McKissock at The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and the Atkinson Morley Hospital during the 20 year