In the year of the 50th anniversary of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), formerly known as the International Medical Society of Paraplegia (IMSoP), we are happy to report the further strengthening of the cooperation between ISCoS and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the benefit of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) worldwide.
IMSoP was founded in 1961 with Sir Ludwig Guttmann serving as the President. In February 1944, Dr Guttmann founded the Spinal Unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, United Kingdom. In 1952 he also founded the International Stoke Mandeville Games, and health professionals from many countries who came with their teams to these Games began to meet and discuss their clinical work and research. It was decided to start IMSoP with its first official meeting to be held in Stoke Mandeville in 1961. Annual Scientific Meetings were held at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, except during Paralympic years when they were held in the country hosting the Games. IMSoP changed its name to ISCoS in 2001 to signal its broader objective, i.e. from paraplegia to all health aspects related to the spinal cord and to properly acknowledge the multiple aspects of comprehensive management, e.g. medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, engineering, research.
