TY - JOUR T1 - Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus JF - Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery JO - J NeuroIntervent Surg SP - 99 LP - 99 DO - 10.1136/jnis.2009.001347 VL - 1 IS - 2 AU - Robert W Tarr Y1 - 2009/12/01 UR - http://jnis.bmj.com/content/1/2/99.abstract N2 - ‘So you think you can tellHeaven from HellBlue skies from pain.Can you tell a green fieldFrom a cold steel rail?A smile from a vail?Do you think you can tell?’– Pink Floyd (1975)In this issue of JNIS, Vitek et al critically examine the origin of the credit for the technique of carotid cavernous fistula treatment with preservation of the parent artery.1 After a painstaking research of the topic, Vitek et al conclude that Barney Brooks has inappropriately been given credit for this technique which bears his name. Vitek et al further describe how this Brooks legend has been propagated in the medical literature for over 8 decades.The terms ‘myth’ and ‘legend’ are often used interchangeably. In reality, there are subtle differences in their meaning. The term ‘legend’ refers to an unverified popular story which has some historical or geographic … ER -