History of

Orthopedics
IPRO3
Dr Dan
LAPTOIU
 The ”Big Picture”
 Ancient times - Orthopedic principles start development and use
already in primitive times. The Egyptians describe ways to
recognize and manage common orthopedic conditions. The Greeks
and Romans subsequently begin to study medicine in a systematic
manner, and greatly improve our understanding of orthopedic
anatomy and surgical technique.
 The ”Big Picture”
 Ancient times - Orthopedic principles start development and use
already in primitive times. The Egyptians describe ways to
recognize and manage common orthopedic conditions. The Greeks
and Romans subsequently begin to study medicine in a systematic
manner, and greatly improve our understanding of orthopedic
anatomy and surgical technique.
 The ”Big Picture”
 16th century - Until the 16th century, the majority of medical
theories were heavily influenced by the work of Hippocrates. The
scientific study of anatomy gains prominence during this time,
especially due to the work done by great artists, such as Leonardo
Da Vinci.
 18th century - The modern term orthopedics is coined.
 The ”Big Picture”
 17th century - Scottish surgeon Peter Lowe
publishes his A discourse of the Whole
Art of Chirurgerie, which uses the term
amputation for the first time
The ”Big Picture”
 19th century Three landmark discoveries in orthopedics
make surgeries safe, painless and enthusiastic. These are
the development of principles of antisepsis by Joseph
Lister
Antisepsis
The ”Big Picture”
 19th century Three landmark discoveries in orthopedics
make surgeries safe, painless and enthusiastic. These are
the development of principles of antisepsis by Joseph
Lister, the discovery of ether anesthesia in 1846 by
William Morton
Anesthesia
The ”Big Picture”
 19th century Three landmark discoveries in orthopedics make
surgeries safe, painless and enthusiastic. These are the
development of principles of antisepsis by Joseph Lister, the
discovery of ether anesthesia in 1846 by William Morton and the
invention by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen of X-rays, which would
revolutionize the way of making a diagnosis in orthopedic cases.
Radiology
 The ”Big Picture”
 1786 English surgeon Percivall Pott
publishes his book Some Few
Remarks upon Fractures and
Dislocations following his compound
femoral fracture on the use of
splinting to avoid amputation.
The ”Big Picture”
 1851 Dutch military surgeon
Antonius Mathijsen invents the plaster
of Paris orthopedic.
The ”Big Picture”
 20th century Rapid development continues to better control
infections. It further develops and introduces novel technology.
The World Wars contribute a lot to the development of core
orthopedics by producing countless number of patients requiring
amputation, debridement, fracture management (Parkhill,
Lambotte) , tendon surgeries, etc.
The ”Big Picture”
 20th century Xray Fluoroscopy
The ”Big Picture”
 20th century ”suitable materials”

Stainless steel (18-8):1926

The ”Big Picture”
 20th century ”suitable materials”

Vitallium: 1929
The ”Big Picture”
 20th century ”suitable materials”

Tantalum: 1936
The ”Big Picture”
 20th century ”suitable materials”

Titanium & its alloys – Maurice Down, 1947

First implants

 Hansman’s Bone
Plate
(1886)
First implants

Bone Suture
Stabilization
Inserts (Koenig,
1905)
 First implants

Forceps and
Brass Bone
Plates
(Lambotte)
 First implants

Sir William
Arbuthnot Lane
(1856-1942)
 First implants

William O’Neill
Sherman
ca. 1880
 The ”Big Picture”


https://www.pastmedicalhistory.c
o.uk/

https://timelines.issarice.com/wik
i/Timeline_of_orthopedics
Principles

 Intuitively-Based
Fracture Fixation
Constructs
(ca. 1920)
Principles

 Compression
plates Danis
1947
Plates

 Redundant
usage of
Lane Plates
Principles
Heygroves’
“Long Steel
Strut” (1921)
Principles
Marius N.
Smith-Petersen
(1886-1953)
Kuntscher
1940
Nails for Femur fractures
The Swiss Era

 1951: Müller – Allgower –

Willeneger – Scientific/clinical
collaboration
1954: Straumann Institute –
Fabrication of implants
1958: Arbeitsgemeininschaft
fur Osteosynthesfragen
= Fifteen Swiss surgeons (AO)
The Swiss Era

 Standardized Fracture
Documentation
(AO)
First motors

1935 first
surgical
electrical
motor
First motors

1967 first
pneumatic
surgical
motor
First motors

1988 first
rechargeable
surgical
motor
1998 OrthoPilot
2012 EinsteinVision
Our era
Our era
Our era