A historical perspective on ankle ligaments reconstructive surgery.

Ankle sprains are by far the most common injuries treated by sport medicine physicians. Treatment is mainly conservative, but in some cases surgical intervention is required. The aim of the present manuscript is to give an insight into the origins and developments of ankle ligaments reconstructive surgery, underlining the fundamental steps that marked the transition from a mere conservative approach to surgical treatment options. In this historical note, the most illustrious figures who contributed to this particular field of orthopaedic practice are also acknowledged. Level of evidence V.

The Masters of the Bolognese Orthopaedic School.

Bologna is one of the most ancient cradles of medical knowledge, as the city hosts one of the oldest medical faculties in the world. Among its best known institutions there is the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, founded in the late nineteenth century, whose history is strictly connected with the evolution and development of the Italian orthopaedic practice of the last 120 years. The present manuscript acknowledges the main contributions by Francesco Rizzoli, Alessandro Codivilla and Vittorio Putti, who prompted the foundation and the international recognition of the Rizzoli Institute and the related Bolognese Orthopaedic School.

Sir Robert Jones: orthopaedic surgeon and war hero.

The First World War was a very harsh conflict and statistics recorded a great number of victims, both soldiers and civilians. One hundred years later, the whole world is commemorating the Great War by celebrating people and events that contributed to shaping the XX century. Beyond remembering political figures, war heroes or even famous battles, it is also important to underline the contribution of those who devoted their efforts to improve the living conditions during war campaigns. This is the case of Sir Robert Jones, one of the fathers of XX century orthopaedics, who contributed to re-organize the military medical assistance during war times and whose teachings, coming directly from his "on the field" experience, inspired an entire generation of European surgeons.

An orthopaedic conquest: the first inter-human tissue transplantation.

UNLABELLED: Nineteenth century Scottish surgeon William Macewen performed, in 1879, the first inter-human living donor transplantation in medical history. It was a bone allograft performed on a 3-year-old boy affected by a huge humeral bone loss. This paper analyses the historical context around Macewen, briefly introducing his life and the discoveries made by Lister and by the pioneers of anaesthesia. It focuses on the details of the bone allograft procedure invented by Macewen. He was both a basic researcher and a skilled surgeon, a combination that is rare nowadays. The paper includes a description of the surgical procedure and is also enriched by the reproduction of the original image used by Macewen in his 1881 article to explain the clinical evolution. William Macewen was one of the greatest pioneers in musculoskeletal medicine whose brilliant intuition led to the origin and development of bone grafting, one of the most common orthopaedic procedures in the world today. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

Postcards from the past: the Third SICOT Congress, Bologna 1936.

This manuscript describes the events and eminent personalities who animated the third Congress of the "Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologie", held in Bologna (Italy) in 1936. During this meeting the Society acquired its definitive name and the acronym under which it is now internationally recognized, SICOT. Some of the most illustrious clinicians and scientists of those times gathered in Bologna to discuss the progress of orthopaedic science, thus contributing to highlight the relevance of this discipline in the medical field. Italian surgeon Vittorio Putti was the Congress Chairman and his words, together with some original pictures from his 1936 photo gallery, are shown to celebrate appropriately a prestigious moment in the history of SICOT.

John Rhea Barton: the birth of osteotomy.

Osteotomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed everyday all over the world. This technique dates back to the first half of nineteenth century and to the fundamental contribution made by Pennsylvania Hospital surgeon John Rhea Barton (1794-1871), who can be considered the pioneer of modern osteotomies; this paper focuses on his life and career highlights with a description of the first corrective osteotomies for hip and knee ankylosis (documented in two fundamental papers whose original pictures are here reproduced). The success of osteotomy as a current surgical approach to treat several orthopaedic conditions is confirmation of the importance of this procedure in the orthopaedic discipline and prompted an investigation into the pioneering mind who introduced it.

Thomas Annandale: the first meniscus repair.

A biographical insight about nineteenth century Scottish surgeon Thomas Annandale (1838-1907), describing his life and his milestone contribution to the orthopaedics field, particularly analysing the first meniscus repair in history, that Annandale performed in 1883 and documented in his original paper titled "An Operation for Displaced Semilunar Cartilage" (1885). The experience of Annandale marks a shift in the treatment of meniscal injuries, by introducing the practice of restoring and repairing the original status of the tissue.

The "GENESIS" of modern orthopaedics: portraits of three illustrious pioneers.

There are some key figures in medical history whose achievements can be regarded as crucial in the definition of new knowledge and in setting new standards for clinical practice. This manuscript depicts the lives and work of three eminent physicians who were forerunners in the foundation of orthopaedics as an independent medical specialty. They are: Nicholas Andry, Jean-Andrè Venel, and John Ball Brown. The first was the inventor of the name of our discipline, whereas the other two, besides being renowned practitioners, were also the founders, respectively, of the first orthopaedic institutions in Europe and the United States. Therefore, they can be included among the illustrious fathers of modern orthopaedic practice.

The Renaissance and the universal surgeon: Giovanni Andrea Della Croce, a master of traumatology.

All the medical knowledge of all time in one book, the universal and perfect manual for the Renaissance surgeon, and the man who wrote it. This paper depicts the life and works of Giovanni Andrea della Croce, a 16th Century physician and surgeon, who, endowed with true spirit of Renaissance humanism, wanted to teach and share all his medical knowledge through his opus magnum, titled "Universal Surgery Complete with All the Relevant Parts for the Optimum Surgeon". An extraordinary book which truly represents a defining moment and a founding stone for traumatology, written by a lesser known historical personality, but nonetheless the Renaissance Master of Traumatology.

Orchiepididymitis in a Boy With COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms in children are incompletely described. We present the first case of orchiepididymitis associated with COVID-19 in a boy and discuss pathways of testicular involvement by SARS-CoV2 virus. This case underlines the need for further study of the clinical presentation of pediatric COVID-19 and the potential association with nonrespiratory symptoms.

From loose body to osteochondritis dissecans: a historical account of disease definition.

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a rare yet fascinating disease affecting young, active patients. It remains a 'mysterious disease' whose etiopathology, still unclear, is the subject of ongoing studies aiming improving the knowledge of this condition and, therefore, treatment options, too. Even though the first descriptions of intra-articular loose bodies date back to very ancient times, it is only relatively recently that, thanks to the contribution of some very eminent physicians, it became recognized as a specific orthopaedic condition. The aim of the present manuscript is to trace the main steps in the journey that led to the acknowledgement of OCD as an autonomous clinical entity, and to recall the prominent figures involved.

The traumatologist and the battlefield: the book that changed the history of traumatology.

This is a brief historical essay about the 16th century European military surgeon Hans von Gersdorff (approximately 1455 to 1529 in Strasbourg) and his epochal illustrated text, Feldbuch der Wundtartzney (Field Book of Surgery), the first manual of traumatology describing the treatment of battle injuries covering topics ranging from human anatomy to pharmacy, as a guide to field surgery, and explaining the use of surgical instruments developed by Gersdorff himself; for the first time in medical history, a precursor to scientific books for practitioners, this manual is a precious source of information, and it is illustrated by hand-colored woodcuts, attributed to distinguished German renaissance artist Hans Wechtlin; this combination of text and pictures made the Feldbuch a point of reference in the process of arriving at modern traumatology.