Birth of a Specialty: A History of Orthopaedics at Harvard and Its Teaching Hospitals

Birth of a Specialty: A History of Orthopaedics at Harvard and Its Teaching Hospitals

Birth of a Specialty is the story of orthopaedics at Harvard over the past two centuries. This is a story beautifully told in all its depth and complexity by Dr. James H. Herndon. It chronicles the development of the collaborative mosaic of Harvard’s orthopaedic departments in different hospitals... which became the basis for the modern juggernaut of orthopaedics in Boston and played a leading role in the development and recognition of the specialty in the United States. Volume 1 addresses the early surgical landscape, the development of the specialization of orthopaedics, and the history of orthopaedics at Harvard Medical School (HMS). The history of HMS discusses the creation of the orthopaedic department, curriculum, and residency program; the emergence of sports medicine; as well as the infamous murder of Dr. George Parkman at the school in 1849 and contributions by surgeons to the case. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 present the history of orthopaedics at each of Harvard’s teaching hospitals; with Volume 2 focused on Boston Children’s Hospital, Volume 3 on Massachusetts General Hospital, and Volume 4 on Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston City Hospital. Each hospital section begins by discussing the origins of the institution; the evolution of orthopaedic department status at each hospital; the contributions of many great orthopaedic surgeons; and the transition from the twentieth to the twenty-first century, including recruitment of orthopaedic chairpersons at each of the hospitals. It ends with a discussion of the role of Harvard orthopaedic surgeons in both world wars. This well-illustrated, hardcover, four-volume history includes over 1300 images, and a comprehensive index. A fifth volume includes references and bibliography is available in a PDF. “Dr. James Herndon’s Birth of a Specialty goes beyond a mere recitation of the growth of orthopaedic surgery in the U.S.; it tells moving personal stories of many dedicated pioneers who played pivotal roles in transforming what was often a crude mechanical approach to healing into an exact science. Even though it is a scholarly work, Herndon makes the birth and growth of orthopaedic surgery very readable and interesting as well as informative. The exhaustively researched narrative covers the transition of orthopaedics, as often crude carpentry with pulleys and saws, through the evolution of x-rays and ether to the specialty field it is today. Herndon’s use of carefully researched and reported case histories make this story come alive. His description of the Warren family is like reading a course of American History. He covers the growth from small specialty clinics to the specialty orthopaedic centers of today. At the same time he goes over the ignorance and general incompetency of the average graduate of American medical schools at the time [early 20th century] which led C. Sidney Burwell, the Dean of Harvard Medical School from 1935-1949, to exclaim ‘Half of what we have taught you is wrong. Unfortunately, we do not know which half.’ --―Dr. Joel Weinstein "This work is written in a manner that entertains and informs both the laymen and doctors.” --―Herc Segalis James H. Herndon, MD, MBA, is the William H. & Johanna A. Harris Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital; and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Partners Healthcare System (Mass General Brigham), Boston. He has long been a leader in orthopaedics, chairing departments of orthopaedic surgery at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh Medical School and Medical Center (UPMC). He also served as vice president of medical services at UPMC and as associate senior vice chancellor for the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He has influenced the direction of orthopaedics through leadership positions with national organizations such as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Orthopaedic Association, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and the Academic Orthopaedic Society. As residency program director of three well-respected orthopaedic residency programs, Dr. Herndon has trained hundreds of students and residents. As president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and chairman of the Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee, he has helped residency programs across the country develop effective teaching programs. He greatly values his role as an educator, and he hopes that Birth of a Specialty continues the legacy he has established through his years of teaching and his myriad presentations, publications, and studies.