Volume 205, 2013, Pages 197–218
Literature, Neurology, and Neuroscience — Historical and Literary Connections
Chapter 10 – Bram Stoker’s Brother, the Brain Surgeon
Abstract
This
essay examines the life and work of Sir William Thornley Stoker, 1st
Baronet (1845–1912), the eldest brother of Bram Stoker (1847–1912), the
author of Dracula (1897). Sir William or “Thornley,” as he was
commonly known, was one of Ireland’s leading physicians. He performed
some of the first brain surgeries in Ireland using Sir David Ferrier’s
maps of the cerebral cortex. From 1879 into the twentieth century,
Thornley served as inspector for Ireland under the 1876 Cruelty to
Animals Act. In this role, Thornley was responsible for granting
licenses to researchers who performed experiments on live animals. Due
to his reservations about animal experimentation, Thornley eventually
became an advocate for the antivivisection cause, testifying at the
second Royal Commission on Vivisection (1906–1912). Thornley also
influenced Irish literature, albeit indirectly. Bram Stoker’s
composition notes for Dracula show that he consulted his older
brother about the medical scenes in his novel. Thornley’s knowledge of
cerebral localization and his animal rights advocacy both surface in Dracula.
Keywords
- Stoker (Sir William Thornley);
- Stoker (Bram);
- vivisection;
- cerebral localization;
- Ferrier (Sir David);
- animal rights;
- Dracula;
- vampires
- Corresponding author: Tel.:
+ 1-310-254-5648; Fax.: + (562) 391-1863
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
