Who’s Who in Orthopedics
Irish Journal of Medical Science. In 1925 he became a professor of surgery at the University of Cairo, a position he held for 11 years. On his return to England, Henry received additional dec- oration and an honorary degree from the govern- ment and the University of Egypt. During World War II, he was a teacher in the surgery department of the Postgraduate Medical School at Hammer- smith. In 1947, Henry returned to Dublin as a professor of anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland until his retirement in 1959.
In addition to his valuable and unique book, Henry made many original contributions to the surgical literature describing new procedures and original observations. In his later years, Henry became a beloved academic figure in the surgical and medical worlds of Dublin.
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Charles Harbison HERNDON
1915–1997
Born in 1915 in Dublin, Texas, Charlie Herndon received his undergraduate education at the Uni- versity of Texas and earned his MD degree from Harvard University in 1940. After having com- pleted his surgical internship at the University Hospitals of Cleveland, he entered the United States Army in 1941 as a First Lieutenant and volunteered to serve at the American Hospital in Oxford, England, under the direction of Philip D.
Wilson, Sr., MD. He subsequently served in the Third and Twenty-third Station Hospitals and in
Arnold Kirkpatrick HENRY
1886–1962
One of the jewels of orthopedic literature is a slim book of solid gold. Every page contains a nugget of valuable information, concisely written in an entertaining style. What other orthopedic text mentions Tristram Shandy?
Arnold Kirkpatrick Henry’s Extensile Expo- sure Applied to Limb Surgery, first published in 1927, has guided several generations of limb surgeons, making their work easier and safer. To many, Henry is thought of only as an anatomist, but he also was a general surgeon of the old school who felt at home operating anywhere between the scalp and the sole.
Henry received his undergraduate education at
Trent College in England. He then enrolled in
Trinity College, Dublin, from which he received
his MB, BCh, and dBAO degrees in 1911. After
additional postgraduate training in Dublin, he
became a Fellow of the Royal College of Sur-
geons of Ireland in 1914. During World War I,
Henry became a surgeon of the Serbian army. His
wife, who was also a surgeon, served as his first
assistant. In 1916 they both fled to Great Britain
because the German army invaded Serbia. The
Serbian government decorated Henry with the
Order of St. Sava for his surgical services. After
joining the Royal Army Medical Corps, Henry
was posted in India for a short period before being
sent to the French army from 1917 to 1919. For
this service Henry was made a Chevalier of the
Legion of Honor. After the war, Henry returned
to practice in Dublin where he also edited the
the Second General Hospital throughout the entire European campaign; he was discharged with the rank of Major in January 1946. He began his orthopedic residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery, then a small red-brick building on 42nd Street in New York City. On completion of his residency in 1947, he returned to the Uni- versity Hospitals of Case Western Reserve Uni- versity Hospital in Cleveland to become its first full-time orthopedic surgeon. He established the first full-time division of orthopedic surgery at that institution in 1953; the division became a full department in 1978. In relatively few years, his stewardship had made possible the development of a faculty and a resident program that today are regarded as among the finest in the nation.
Charlie was an early pioneer in orthopedic research, primarily in the field of bone transplan- tation, and he inspired generations of faculty and residents to become involved in research. His clinical interests were broad, as were those of most of his generation before the development of multiple orthopedic subspecialties. He was the author or coauthor of 57 publications, and he con- tinued to write on a wide range of topics, partic- ularly those related to pediatric orthopedics, until the time of his retirement in 1982.
The many honors and offices that were received or held by Charlie Herndon during his long and distinguished career were richly deserved and are too numerous to list exhaus- tively. Charlie served as a trustee of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery from 1969 to 1974; as a member of the American Orthopedic Associa- tion in 1955; and as President of the Orthopedic Research Society in 1957, of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery from 1964 to 1966, of the Association of Orthopedic Chairmen in 1975, and of the American Academy of Orthopedic Sur- geons from 1967 to 1968. It was as President of the Academy that he made his most distinctive mark: under his guidance and direction, the prophetic National Health Plan for Orthopedics (NHPO) was developed. This was the first such plan proposed by a national medical organization.
It was typical of Charlie’s foresight that the idea of regular recertification of orthopedists was first proposed in the NHPO. This proposal caused an uproar among a small yet vociferous group of orthopedists who vigorously attacked the concept.
However, Charlie stuck to his guns like the Texan that he was, and, with time, although not without much travail, recertification became the fact of life that it is today.
Charlie served on numerous committees in the orthopedic community and participated in a wide range of interdisciplinary activities, as exempli- fied by his presidency of the Council of Medical Specialists Society in 1976. In recognition of his many services to the Case Western Reserve Uni- versity Medical School, an endowed Chair of Orthopedics was established in his name in 1979.
It was a richly rewarding and exciting experi- ence to know and to be educated by Charlie Herndon, as generations of his residents can attest. An outwardly reserved and occasionally stern manner inspired the best from others, but there was no better teacher by precept or example.
His inner warmth and his concern for his resident staff and faculty were shown in numerous ways, but many of his former residents will confess that it took years before they allowed themselves to address him as Charlie.
Charles Harbison Herndon, MD of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the most respected and influential orthopedists of his generation, died on July 27, 1997, at the age of 82 years. He was survived by his wife, Kathryn Ann Blair (Kay), whom he married in 1944; and two sons.
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