David Marsh BOSWORTH1897–1979

in dogs in a shed on a ranch near San Antonio, Texas. Bohlman’s preliminary experiments were performed on a farm in Maryland; he buried the prostheses in soil with control metal alloys to verify the claims of the noncorrosive properties of Vitallium.

Bohlman was also one of the early military and civilian pilots in the United States. On September 28, 1940 he flew to South Carolina and, with Austin Moore, performed the historic replace- ment of the proximal 12 inches of the upper end of the femur of a 53-year-old man that had been destroyed by a recurrent giant cell tumor. Eight years later, when the patient died of a heart attack, the implant, including the entire proximal femur and hemipelvis, was examined in detail at autopsy and microscopically to determine why the patient had walked so well without a support, using only a cane for long distances. There was no evidence of recurrence of the giant cell tumor, and the implant was described as “just as bright and shiny as the day it was inserted and at no point on it was there any evidence of corrosion.” Bohlman’s energy was inexhaustible, and his collaboration with Moore is an important landmark in the history of American orthopedic surgery.

University of Vermont (BA) cum laude in 1918.

He was active on the swimming team and played the saxophone in a dance band during college. He was a Hospital Apprentice First Class in 1918 and later joined the army reserve, from which he was retired as Captain in 1935. He continued at the University of Vermont, graduating cum laude from the medical school in 1921. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Bosworth interned at Mary Fletcher Hospi- tal in Burlington, Vermont, and returned to New York City in 1921 and 1922 for a residency at the Women’s Hospital. After this he returned to Vermont, where for 3 years he was instructor of anatomy at the medical school. While there he met Dr. Mather Cleveland, who had been instruc- tor of anatomy at Columbia. This meeting led to a firm, lasting association between the two men and was a factor in Dr. Bosworth’s later move back to New York City and orthopedic surgery.

During the summer recesses of those years, he was a neurology resident at Central Neurological Hospital, Welfare Island, New York. He became a lecturer in anatomy at Columbia University in 1925 and finally discovered his calling in 1926, when he became an orthopedic resident at the New York Orthopedic Hospital under Dr. Russell Hibbs. After finishing in 1928, Dr. Bosworth made the New York area his home and orthope- dics his life’s work, to the benefit of both.

Dr. Bosworth joined the American Medical Association in 1921 and was chairman of its orthopedic section in 1949. A Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, he served as chair- man of the orthopedic section in 1938. He was elected to head the orthopedic section of the Medical Society of the State of New York in 1943, and was a life member of the American College of Surgeons. In 1935 he became a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and he actively participated in meetings and instruc- tional courses.

He was elected to membership of the American Orthopedic Association in 1939 and served as president of that organization in 1957.

He was also active in the International Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology. Other honors conferred on him included membership of the Japanese Orthopedic Association, the Howmet Hall of Fame Award, a Citation of Merit from St. Luke’s Hospital, and election to the Alpha Omega Alpha fraternity. Dr. Bosworth was the only foreign recipient of the Japanese award, the Second Order of the Sacred Treasure, which

Who’s Who in Orthopedics

David Marsh BOSWORTH

1897–1979

Born in New York City on January 23, 1897, the

son of a minister, David Bosworth attended City

College of New York and graduated from the

was awarded to him in April 1968 for his contri- butions to orthopedic surgery. His achievements were not unnoticed by his Vermont alma mater, which awarded him an honorary degree (DSc) in 1963.

Because of his many publications, it was only natural that Dr. Bosworth be appointed to the edi- torial board of The Journal of Bone and Joint

the editor. He was also appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Journal and served as treasurer for his entire term as trustee. He was Visiting Pro- fessor and Consultant to the Department of Ortho- pedic Surgery at the University of Vermont from 1942 until his death. He worked as Professor in Orthopedics at New York Polyclinic Medical School, at Flower Fifth Avenue Medical School, and as a lecturer in orthopedic surgery at Bellevue Medical College and the University of Vermont.

His staff appointments included: Assistant Surgeon, Attending Surgeon, and Director of Orthopedic Surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital, New York Polyclinic Hospital, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Seaview Hospital, the House of St. Giles the Cripple, and Richmond Borough Hospital, all of New York City. He was also consultant to 22 hospitals in New York and surrounding areas.

Dr. Bosworth’s many community service efforts included working as consultant surgeon of the New York City Police Department, beginning in 1945, and as impartial specialist to the New York State Supreme Court, Department of Labor, and the United States Department of Labor. He also served as an examiner for the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery from 1940 to 1966.

Typical of Dr. Bosworth, in order to cover more ground faster, he early obtained his own airplane and became an accomplished pilot, a practice that he discontinued only shortly before his death. In his earlier years, he would work all week in New York City, then fly to Vermont to teach and operate over the weekend, and return home to begin again early Monday morning. Residents and coworkers learned that his work schedule stopped only for sleep. Evenings and Sundays, after hospital rounds, were reserved for photog- raphy (he did his own) or writing. Always loath to waste any time when travelling between the many hospitals, he used to read journals or correct papers while in transit. Dr. Bosworth’s hobbies included boating, flying, and photography. His skill with his Leica cameras was such that he did his own photography for all of his publications.

Perhaps best known for his work in the surgi- cal treatment of bone and joint tuberculosis, Dr.

Bosworth also contributed greatly to the knowl- edge of surgery of the hip and spine, and to vir- tually every subject in orthopedics.

With his wife, Dorothy, Dr. Bosworth always made his home a welcome place for his many res- idents away from home. He held annual New Year’s Eve parties attended by his residents and many a Sunday night was spent in his basement, in a cloud of cigar smoke, with his staff, ironing out the problems of prospective publications.

Many associates have enjoyed summer vacations on his beloved island in Lake Champlain. He was a man of many talents. Many of his residents can recall him quoting from memory during long operations in the late afternoon—lengthy passages from Hamlet or “Elegy in a Country Churchyard.”

In March 1974, Dr. Bosworth left New York City to return to his birthplace, Vermont, where he was in active practice almost until his 82nd birthday.

Dr. David Marsh Bosworth died in Vermont on July 11, 1979, at the age of 82. His 94 original orthopedic publications alone (from 1930 to 1967) could fill a volume or two, and indicate the productivity of this man.

David Marsh Bosworth was affectionately known as “Uncle David” by all his ex-residents, although he was seldom called anything but Dr.

Bosworth in his presence. His great surgical wisdom and experience have passed from him to all the corners of the world. When, as it must sometime happen to all of us, we encounter a dif- ficult, unpredictable surgical situation, it seems the most natural thing in the world to ask, “What would Uncle David do here?”

Harold Hamlyn BOUCHER

1899–

Harold “Hammy” Boucher was born in Boucherville, Ontario, in 1899. He attended McGill University and the McGill Medical School, graduating in 1926. He was a resident at the University of Iowa where he was a student of Arthur Steindler, and where he received a Masters Degree in orthopedics. His orthopedic career was spent in Vancouver with the exception of several

Who’s Who in Orthopedics