The Casuccio-Santacroce-Banfo knee arthroscope: an avant-garde Italian tale in the history of arthroscopy.

PURPOSE: This brief historical note describes an arthroscopic instrument presented in Italy in 1950, and still preserved to this day at the library of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, Italy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A research on Casuccio, Santacroce, and Banfo prolific scientific collaboration was performed. RESULTS: The arthroscopic instrument was designed and utilized at the Orthopedic Clinic of the University of Bari, directed by Professor Casuccio, in collaboration with his assistant, Antonio Santacroce, and Giorgio Banfo, an orthopedist, entrepreneur, and owner of a modern establishment dedicated to the production of orthopaedic products and medical instruments. CONCLUSION: Much like America and Japan, 1950s Italy offered avant-garde arthroscopic instruments, which resulted from a masterful collaboration of research and development.

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.

Knee multi-ligament reconstruction: a historical note on the fundamental landmarks.

Several eminent surgeons made breakthroughs in knee surgery throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Before that, knee injuries were only treated conservatively and it was thanks to the progress made in the field of biomechanics and biology that new surgical treatments were proposed. The history of medicine recalls some illustrious surgeons such as Thomas Annandale and Mayo Robson who were the first to perform and describe their revolutionary experience regarding meniscal and anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Less famous are the forefathers of multi-ligament reconstructive surgery: the purpose of this paper was to shed some light on the pioneers of this particular field of orthopaedic practice, which is gaining increasing interest in current clinical practice. Level of evidence V.

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.

The Codivilla spring: from then to now and beyond.

The ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO), originally called Codivilla spring, is an orthotic device prescribed to the patients with foot drop due to neurological diseases in order to control the range of motion of the ankle joint and to compensate the muscle weakness/spasticity, thus optimizing the gait function. In this paper, a historical revision of the most known and used AFO worldwide from the origin of its name and the first applications at the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute to the most advanced solutions in use today is covered. Through the critical analysis of the historical documents available, the paper reports on the controversy about the true inventor of the Codivilla spring during the first decades of the XX century. In terms of their design and indications, adult and child AFOs are presented. Finally, possible approaches for the selection of the correct orthosis and the individual prescription are discussed in order to manage specific mechanical neuromuscular deficiencies of the subject's ankle-foot complex, optimizing walking efficiency.

When neurosurgery and orthopedics were close in the past: Harvey Cushing and Vittorio Putti.

Harvey Cushing and Vittorio Putti are well-recognized medical authorities. The Italian orthopedic surgeon Vittorio Putti was an advocate of modern orthopedics and a scholar in orthopedic history. Putti was a frequent traveler and an esteemed lecturer, and a close friend of the American neurosurgeon, pathologist, and writer Dr. Harvey Cushing. Correspondence between the two can be found at the Yale Medical Historical Library, in New Haven, CT, and at the Rizzoli Institute in Bologna. A research was performed, which yielded an extensive documentation on the correspondence between the two surgeons. The research allowed to analyze and confirm the strong relationship between the two surgeons and highlighted their passion for collecting antique medical books. This paper is a tribute to two great surgeons in the history of medicine and aims at describing their personality and witnessing their great friendship through an unprecedented documentation. Both surgeons still live on through those who can continue to admire and study the fruit of their passion, as both men donated their precious collection of antique texts to public institutions, Putti to the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, and Cushing to Yale University.

Wilhelm Schulthess, Pioneer in the Treatment of Spinal Deformities: The Testimony of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute.

: Wilhelm Schulthess was a pioneer in the treatment of spinal deformities. The Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, Italy, awarded him in 1911 for his work: "pathology and treatment of spinal deformities". In this paper the Swiss Clinician is remembered through the documentation still preserved at the Rizzoli institute.

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.