Renoir, Descartes, champagne…the list of French contributions to the world is extensive.
France has had an oversized contribution to world literature, art, food, and science. La République has given the world the likes of Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, Gauguin. Diners in New York or Sydney can enjoy French culinary creations, àlaBœufbourguignon, Coq au vin, Escargots and crêpes.
In science, but more specifically orthopedics, France has also led the world, giving physicians remarkable new tools to relieve the shock, discomfort and fear that accompany a splintered tibia, crushed acetabulum, spinal deformity, or stenosis.
Last month we joined thousands of orthopedists in Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary meeting of the SociétéFrançaise de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique (SOFCOT).
The organization, founded by ÉdouardKirmisson, was the mid-wife of modern orthopedics. To this day, large joint physicians, spine physicians, trauma and extremity physicians use products and employ techniques that debuted at the SociétéFrançaise d’Orthopédie.
To put SOFCOT in perspective, it is 15 years older than the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Willis C. Campbell, M.D., Edwin W. Ryerson, M.D., Fredrick J. Gaenslen, M.D., Melvin S. Henderson, M.D., Philip Lewin, M.D., E. Bishop Mumford, M.D., and H. Winnett Orr, M.D. no doubt looked to the visionary science emanating from Paris when they organized the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1930.
Our Guide: Professor Rosset, SOFCOT President
We sat down with Professor Philippe Rosset, the president of the congress of SOFCOT and orthopedic surgeon and traumatologist at the HôpitalTrousseau in Tours to discuss the highlights of 100 years of French Orthopedics.
“To a great extent, the history of SOFCOT mirrors the history of the world,” says Dr. Rosset. “In the 1500s, an Army surgeon named Ambroise Paréwas credited with originating the field of prosthetics. In 1741 Nicolas Andry coined the term ‘orthopedics.’ Dupuytren’s contracture is named for French military surgeon Guillaume Dupuytren (October 5, 1777–February 8, 1835).”
WWI ushered in millions of wounded and distraught souls and the medical community hastened to respond. A month before the armistice in 1918, surgeon ÉdouardKirmisson mobilized a number of colleagues and formed the SociétéFrançaise d’Orthopédie, the precursor to SOFCOT.
One of Kirmisson’s many contributions was to expand Bois-Regard’s narrow definition of the field as being one focused on treating childhood deformities to include all musculoskeletal infirmities. “It would be a serious error,” said Kirmisson, “to think that orthopedics stops at the age of 15.”
