Born on 6 May 1884 in Nevada City, he graduated in science and medicine from the University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco. He studied at Johns Hopkins during Harvey Cushing's last year there, 1913, and during the first world war went on active service in Europe. He returned to San Francisco as surgeon to the University Hospital. He was elected Clinical Professor at Berkeley in 1924, Professor of Surgery in 1929, and Professor of Neurological Surgery in 1947, retiring with the rank of Emeritus Professor in 1952. Naffziger was President of the American College of Surgeons in 1939-40, first chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgery 1940-50, and President of the American Surgical Association 1953-54. During the war of 1939-45 he visited Europe to inspect American service hospitals, and he paid further visits on medical missions after the war. He died on 21 March 1961 aged 74, survived by his wife and three daughters. Naffziger carried on the great tradition of Cushing's school of neurosurgery. Among his notable achievements were an operation to unroof the orbit for decompression in cases of extreme exophthalmos, and a frontal osteoplastic flap which avoided leaving conspicuous scars on the forehead.