About This Stamp
The Postal Service issued a 45-cent regular Great Americans series stamp honoring Dr. Harvey W. Cushing on June 17, 1988, in his birthplace, Cleveland, Ohio. The dedication ceremony was held in the Amasa Stone Chapel on the campus of Case Western University.
Artist Bradbury Thompson based the design on a charcoal portrait by John Singer Sargent in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery.
A pioneer in his field, the Father of Neurosurgery had a commanding influence on the progress of medicine and surgery throughout the world. Dr. Cushing was the first to use x-rays and to take blood pressure readings routinely during operations. He was also among the first to operate on the pituitary gland, which eventually led to his discovery of a condition now known as Cushing's Syndrome, and he contributed to the overall understanding of the gland.
Dr. Cushing's most notable achievements were developing many of the techniques and procedures for surgery of the brain and spinal cord that are still fundamental to neurosurgery. His work has been credited with reducing the mortality rate in brain operations from nearly 100 percent to less than 10 percent.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing engraved the stamp through the intaglio process.