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which is a Greek text on medicine. It is named for Hippocrates (460 BCE-370 BCE), the father of medicine, and it contains text that applies specifically to the field of orthopedic surgery. For example, this text discuses shoulder dislocations and describes various reduction maneuvers. Hippocrates had a keen understanding of the principles of traction and countertraction, especially as it pertains to the musculoskeletal system.8 In fact, the Hippocratic method is still used for reducing anterior shoulder dislocations, and its description can be found in several modern orthopedic texts, including recent articles.13 The Corpus Hippocrates also describes the correction of clubfoot deformity, and the treatment of infected open fractures with pitch cerate and wine compresses.8 Hippocrates also described the treatment of fractures, the principles of traction, and the implications of malunions. For example, Hippocrates wrote, “For the arm, when shortened, might be concealed and the mistake will not be great, but a shortened thigh bone will leave a man maimed.”1 In addition, spinal deformities were recognized by the Greeks, and Hippocrates devised an extension bench for the correction of such deformities.1 From their contributions to anatomy and surgical practice, the Greeks have made significant contributions to the field of surgery.9 During the Roman period, another Greek surgeon by the name of Galen described the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. He served as a gladiatorial surgeon in Rome, and today, he is considered to be the father of sports medicine.8 He is also credited with coining the terms scoliosis, kypho- An Overview of the History of Orthopedic Surgery E436 The American Journal of Orthopedics ® November/December 2016 www.amjorthopedics.com sis, and lordosis to denote the spinal deformities that were first described by Hippocrates.1 In the Roman period, amputations were also performed, and primitive prostheses were developed.9 The Middle Ages There was relatively little progress in the study of medicine for a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire.9 This stagnation was predominantly due to the early Christian Church inhibiting freedom of thought and observation, as well as prohibiting human dissection and the study of anatomy. The first medical school in Europe was established in Salerno, Italy, during the ninth century. This school provided primarily pedantic teaching to its students and perpetuated the theories of the elements and humors. Later on, the University of Bologna became one of the first academic institutions to offer hands-on surgical training.9 One of the most famous surgeons of the Middle Ages was Guy de Chuauliac, who studied at Montpellier and Bologna. He was a leader in the ethical principles of surgery as well as the practice of surgery, and wrote the following with regards to femur fractures:9 “After the application of splints, I attach to the Table. Prominent Scholars and Advancements in the Field of Orthopedic Surgery Leaders in Orthopedic Surgery Contribution to Modern Orthopedic Surgery Ambroise Pare (1510-1590) The father of French surgery who devised various surgical instruments including the tourniquet and forceps Nicholas Andry (1658-1759) Developed the term orthopedics and had a special interest in correcting and preventing deformities in children Percival Pott (1714-1788) British surgeon who described Pott’s fracture and Pott’s disease (spinal tuberculosis) William Heberden (1710-1801) British surgeon who described Heberden’s nodes, commonly seen in osteoarthritis Jean-Andre Venel (1740-1791) Genevese physician who founded the first orthopedic hospital (for crippled children with skeletal deformities), and is considered to be the father of orthopedics Giovanni Batista Monteggia (1762-1815) Italian pathologist who described Monteggia’s fracture Abraham Colles (1773-1843) Irish surgeon who described the Colles’ fracture the same year as Monteggia described his fracture Baron Guillaume Dupuytren (1777-1835) French surgeon who first described contracture of palmar fascia which now bears his name (Dupuytren’s contracture) John Rhea Barton (1794-1871) American surgeon who first described Barton’s fracture of the wrist Antonius Mathysen (1805-1878) Dutch surgeon who invented plaster of Paris Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) French neurologist who described the arthropathy that bears his name Theodor Kocher (1841-1917) German surgeon who described the posterolateral approach to the hip Sir James Paget (1814-1899) British surgeon who described osteitis deformans, which is more commonly known as Paget’s disease of the bone Richard von Volkmann (1830-1889) German surgeon who described ischemic contractures of muscles (Volkmann’s ischemic contracture) Harold Bennett (1837-1907) Irish surgeon who described fracture-dislocation of the base of the thumb Hugh Thomas (1834-1891) Father of British orthopedics. He devised various new techniques and orthopedic instruments, and he is credited with developing Thomas’ test for hip flexion contractures Fritz de Quervain (1868-1940) Swiss surgeon who described stenosing tenosynovitis, and also studied disease of the thyroid Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) German physicist who discovered x-rays, which subsequently revolutionized the scope and
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