During the 16th century, French surgeon S.F. Morand was the first to complete a successful drainage of a brain abscess. Hippocrates was one of the first authors to explore the findings that ear infections, an event associated with brain abscesses, could progress to delirium and death. It was not until the late 19th century that methodical developments of surgery were available to treat these abscesses.^[1]

Important landmarks in the history of brain abscess include the following:^[1][2][3]

• 1752: The first successful drainage by S.F. Morand.
• 1893: Publication of William Macewan’s Monograph of Pyogenic Infective Diseases of the Brain and Spinal Cord, the most comprehensive study of pyogenic brain diseases and surgical prevention of its time.
• 1924: The first marsupialization method was introduced by King.
• 1928: Dr. Percy Sargent introduced the procedure of enucleation on an encapsulated brain abscess.
• 1971: Dr. Heineman and colleagues introduced successful medical management of brain abscesses.