For many years, neuropathological studies had yielded very limited insights into head injury because ownership lay with forensic pathologists who prioritized prompt examination of the unfixed brain. The invention of the computed tomography (CT) scan and its application to head injuries was the greatest single factor in genesis of the modern management of head injuries. During the 1960s, the view developed that recovery from coma from severe injury might be promoted by what was then termed intensive care, the forerunner of modern neuro-critical care. The scale of the adverse effects of secondary insults emphasized the importance of the quality of surgery and intensive care in avoiding or rapidly correcting adverse factors. The development of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) created a standardized method for assessing the severity of injury and predicting long-term outcomes and helped to push brain injury rehabilitation to the forefront.