Giants In Orthopaedic Surgery: Robert Bruce Salter CC, MD, FRCSC

Excerpt

Like many medical students who trained before the Internet and the E-books, Dr. Salter’s textbook, Textbook of Disorders and Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System [ 13 ] was my first formal introduction to orthopaedic surgery. Even professors outside of the orthopaedics department knew of this textbook’s title and author, recommending it because of its clarity, completeness, and brevity. It proved a useful resource to many orthopaedic residents. Now, most medical students become acquainted with Dr. Salter not by his text, but from his pediatric fracture classification.

What may we learn from Dr. Salter today? He devoted his career to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of orthopaedic trauma and disease. This insight led to the development of classifications improving diagnosis, better interventions, and clearly defined outcomes. His enduring commitment to patient care was inextricably linked to his focus on education and research.

In a career that spanned 55 years, Dr. Salter spent four decades at the Hospital for Sick Children, first as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and later as Surgeon-in-Chief. Much of his work remains highly relevant. The innominate osteotomy that bears his name, his approach to developmental dysplasia of the hip, the use of continuous passive motion to promote articular cartilage and joint health, and the Salter-Harris fracture classification are his major contributions. These topics have provided the basis for clinical care and research studies, both in the basic science and clinical realms.

Fundamentally, Dr. Salter learned from his patients so he might improve their overall health and then pass this newfound knowledge onto the next generation of medical students and orthopaedic surgeons.

– Marlene DeMaio MD, MC, Capt. USN (retired)

Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Marshall University