Shortage...simple case of supply and demand.

In 1933 Harvey Cushing, MD made Neurosurgery a specialty. For the next 15/20 years, there were just a handful of neurosurgeons and all were located in teaching hospitals.

During World War II neurosurgery was done on the battlefield by general surgeons by necessity. After the war ended the surgeons used the G.I. bill for training in Neurosurgery and the specialty grew. Private practices started to crop up all over the United States making neurosurgery readily available to a larger population. In the late 1980'ies there were about 4500 practicing neurosurgeons. Then they started retiring and since the residency programs only train about 125 neurosurgeons a year the short fall has continued as more and more retire. Today there are about 2700 practicing neurosurgeons.