Jean VERBRUGGE
1896–1964
The Belgian medical world, and especially its orthopedic surgeons, mourn the passing of an eminent surgeon, a good man, and an incompara- ble friend.
Jean Verbrugge was born in 1896, on Decem- ber 16. After brilliant intermediary studies at Antwerp, he graduated and gained his degree, in 1921, as a doctor of medicine, surgeon, and obste- trician from the University of Brussels, with the highest honors. He was almost immediately awarded a scholarship as a Fellow of the Com- school of about 1,000 residents and visitors from
Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and the United States at his department in Heinola until his retirement in 1975. The 2-day 60th Anniversary Vainio Meeting in Heinola was attended by 50 international specialists in rheumatology.
Vainio was a frequent lecturer at international congresses and meetings concerned with ortho- pedics, rheumatology, and hand surgery. He was a man with innumerable friends and spare-time activities. At a rather early stage in his orthope- dic career, Vainio drew fundamental guidelines for the operative treatment of the rheumatoid deformities of the foot based on a thorough clas- sification of the typical abnormalities and their pathogenesis. His subsequent publications dealt proficiently with the rheumatoid hand.
Kauko Vainio died on January 17,1989 in Heinola, Finland.
1939. From 1938 to 1939, Verbiest studied neu- rosurgery in Paris. The outbreak of World War II forced him to return to Utrecht where, because of wartime conditions, he was appointed head of the department of neurosurgery. After the war, Ver- biest became well known for his research, for his clinical acumen, and for his surgical skills. He became especially well known for his work on anterior and lateral approaches to the cervical spine.
During his career Verbiest received many honors from his own government and from the international neurosurgical community. He is, perhaps, best remembered for his description of spinal stenosis. One of the classic symptoms of spinal stenosis, intermittent claudication of the spine, is called Verbiest’s syndrome.
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Who’s Who in Orthopedics
Henk VERBIEST
1909–1997
Henk Verbiest was born in Rotterdam in 1909. He
studied medicine at the University of Leiden
between 1927 and 1934. While he was a medical
student, Verbiest did research in pigeons on
several neurological problems. After graduation,
Verbiest worked in the department of neurology
until 1937. On the basis of research done during
this period, he was granted a doctoral degree in
mittee for Relief in Belgium (CRB Educational Foundation) and spent 2 years, up to 1924, at the Mayo Clinic. He completed his training with Pro- fessor Putti in Italy and Professor Leriche in France. As early as 1925, he started his career at the Stuyvenberg Hospital in Antwerp, where he eventually succeeded Albin Lambotte as head of the surgical department. For many years, he worked in trusted collaboration with this univer- sally recognized surgeon, who may be said to have been the founder of the modern technique of osteosynthesis. The fondness of Jean Verbrugge for his illustrious master was such that, even when he had attained the highest honors, he never failed to recall the teachings of the man whom he described as “My master, Monsieur Lambotte.”
His honesty and modesty were proverbial.
Finally, he became professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Ghent and he died in harness.
Orthopedic science as well as orthopedic surgery owes a great deal to Jean Verbrugge, as evidenced by his numerous books, papers, reports, lectures—about 175 publications in all.
He also prepared a textbook of orthopedics espe- cially for the use of his students. All sorts of honors naturally rewarded his brilliant efforts and, as was only to be expected, he was a member of some 20 surgical associations.
On several occasions, he represented Belgium abroad and he was elected president of the Société Beige de Chirurgie in 1962. He was called to the presidency of the Belgian Orthopedic Association no less than three times. He presided over many a congress in Belgium and in other countries in a smiling good-natured manner, which did not exclude firm action when necessary.
He was as interesting to know and as attractive to meet socially as he was captivating to listen to and fascinating to follow as a scientist. Tact, frankness, modesty, devotion, honesty, indul- gence, kindness, I do not know which of these qualities could best be cited as characteristic of the man when describing him, for he was blessed with them all. But, above all, I think that he was naturally of a kind disposition and that, to his rela- tions, his students, his friends, and his colleagues, he was kindness personified. He was kind to his patients, his friends, his assistants, his colleagues, and immensely so toward his family. Better still, when somebody hurt him, he did not show his dis- tress but confided in some close friend. This was in keeping with his honest and indulgent outlook on life and he always sought attenuating circum-
stances that could and, indeed, would lead to forgiveness. Even during a difficult operation, he never chided a clumsy assistant. Instead, almost embarrassed, he would say “I do not think that I would have set about it that way.” It is not sur- prising that all his assistants regret the passing of their good master. His various responsibilities involved duties and contacts of every description, but the young surgeon fresh from the university received as kind and as amicable a welcome as the VIP. Both were addressed in a most kindly fashion as “my dear friend.” His patients, too, were struck by his immeasurable kindness; count- less times those who met him, even briefly, in the course of a consultation, would say to me “How kind this man is.” In the meantime, he, himself, would have gone expressing thanks for the op- portunity afforded him to study an interesting clinical case. Jean Verbrugge was, indeed, a jolly good fellow.
Another characteristic of the man we mourn was the price he attached to friendship. People of his generation and younger ones can bear witness to this; to entertain his friends, do his best to please them, see to their comfort as a perfect host, render a service, chat with his friends, meet them, tease them in a good-natured fashion, such appeared to be one of his principal aims in life.
In fact, how could such a man have anything but friends?
Personally, I can remember a reception he gave his colleagues of the Société Belge de Chirurgie;
his attitude was in no way that of a president, stiff and solemn, discharging an obligation toward the members of a society: quite the opposite, in fact, he behaved like a man affectionately surrounded by his kith and kin, receiving his friends and seeing to their welfare. The reception was full of warmth and a total success and, each time he spoke to his guests, he called them his “dear friends,” which was, indeed, the term he used when speaking from the platform of a scientific society, since he never could imagine that one could address one’s colleagues differently.
His career and his works, which I have re- called, are not sufficient, however, to depict the man of science; the most that one can say is that they enable one to sum up his contribution to science. But the outstanding quality of this teacher was clarity: in a few words, he simplified a problem and a few movements sufficed to turn a surgical operation into something simple. For instance, in a clinical case discussion, he would enumerate five possibilities and, from that
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Who’s Who in Orthopedics
moment, one could be quite certain that there were no more. He then rejected progressively one after another of the four possible solutions and, finally, there remained only one, which his con- science, his common sense, and his experience told him was the best. The future invariably proved him right. Time and again, I have wit- nessed episodes of this nature. Similarly, at scientific meetings, it was almost a relief to see Jean Verbrugge stand up after a somewhat labored exposé or a heated debate: in a few words, he would stress the principal points, which had either escaped notice or were hardly apparent, and everything became simple and comprehensible.
He was outstanding in this field when a young speaker, intimidated by his audience or by ill- natured questioners, showed signs of losing his head. One could be sure that, at this moment, Ver- brugge would stand and say “I have been very interested (and this was true) by what my young friend has said. I think that the following four points are important.” (One could be certain that there were neither three nor five of them.) “Now would you permit me to make three observations”
and, here again, one could be certain that the three observations would clarify the question and rid it of all that was superfluous. Personally, I think that Professor Verbrugge rarely stood up and spoke without teaching me something and I find it hard to visualize our next meetings without him.
On his death, professor Verbrugge left a widow and a 12-year-old daughter. Simone and Simon- ette Verbrugge mourn the passing of a loving husband and an exemplary father. May the unan- imous grief that his death has caused among us all afford them consolation in their bitter loss.
Jean Verbrugge died on January 7, 1964 after a long and painful illness, which he bore with courage and stoicism. He deserves entirely what he himself hoped for in the case of his late master Lambotte: “that he should still live in our minds.”
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