Injury to the head and spinal cord. The epidemiological relevance of the medical literature published from 1960 to 1978.

This article reviews the English language medical literature published from January, 1960, through June, 1978, on selected morbidity measures and economic costs of injury to the head or spinal cord. Most of the reports discussed here come from outside the United States. Regardless of the source of the report, however, one of the most conspicuous shortcomings in the published reports was the lack of uniformity of terms, definitions, and research methods used. Because of severe variations as to source of data, year of study, and methods of investigation, general observations about the occurrence of injury to the head or spinal cord in the United States are limited, and must be regarded with caution.