Ortopedie, die ortopeed en die mens

Abstract

Orthopaedics is one of the oldest branches of medicine and stems from both the surgical and medical facets of medicine. John Hunter, who can be regarded as the father of modern surgery, succeeded in the eighteen century to transplant a human tooth into the comb of a cock. The practice of Orthopaedics on a scientific basis slowly eliminated the practice of the bone setters in England. The first school for Orthopaedics was founded by William John Little, a qualified physician, in London in the 1850's. The importance of Orthopaedics is proven by the fact that 86% of all patients injured on duty suffer from orthopaedic injuries. Apart from trauma, chronic musculo-ske!etal conditions are extremely common and affect most people at some stage or other. Education of students on a pre-graduate level should be of a very high standard. Also, as much time as possible should be devoted to research.