mechanics laboratory under his direction, per- forming research and learning the application of engineering principles to orthopedic surgery. In Sweden, it is common for a physician aspiring to an academic position to perform research and then to write a thesis to attain the advanced degree of Med Dr. After the thesis has been written and submitted to the university, the candidate must defend the work publicly before a panel of three experts. The thesis, if it is related to orthopedics, is then usually published as a supplement to
Acta Orthopedica Scandinavica. The influence ofa medical educator on the next generation of medical educators in Sweden can thus be meas- ured quite accurately. During the period from 1960 to 1973, 40 doctoral theses were produced under the direction of Carl Hirsch, seven by American surgeons. In addition, many other orthopedic surgeons spent shorter periods of time in his biomechanics laboratory.
Carl Hirsch was a frequent visitor to the United States and was usually to be found at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and at many of the postgraduate courses given throughout the United States. He was an entertaining and informative lecturer, who took a new and provocative look at many old prob- lems, such as low-back pain and osteotomy of the hip.
An academic career requires a nice balance between patient care, research, and education. It is rare to find capabilities in all three areas com- bined in one man. Carl Hirsch possessed these capabilities. He was an excellent physician and surgeon. He was particularly skilled in surgery of the spine. In the area of research, the 40 doctoral theses attest to his ability as a researcher and research director. He established an excellent biomechanics laboratory, which has served as a model for many others throughout the world. He had the ability to pose a problem to a person and then gently to lead, push, and encourage that person to completion of the work. In the area of medical education, he played an important role in Sweden, acting as an advisor to the Swedish gov- ernment in the field of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. He was a corresponding member of the American Orthopedic Association and an honorary member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Shriners, and the Israeli Orthopedic Association. He was also a member of the French, British, and Swiss Associations, and was active in the Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie.
Carl Hirsch was known to all by his Swedish nickname, “Calle.” His home was a haven for exchange fellows from overseas and for all visit- ing orthopedic surgeons. It was a rare visitor to his clinic in Uppsala, Göteborg, or Stockholm who was not brought to the Hirsch’s home, which was filled with modern Swedish paintings and sculpture, for a typical Swedish meal. These activities were presided over by his first wife, Anna, who died in 1969. She was a woman of great warmth, and through her hospitality she did much to make the families of the research fellows from overseas feel at home and comfortable in a new environment.
Carl had a great facility for making friends, which made it easy for his students to develop a close relationship with him. This relationship greatly facilitated the work. In 1971, the Carl Hirsch Föreningen, a society of former American research alumni, was founded to honor Carl and to promote American–Swedish cooperation. Carl Hirsch died on June 19, 1973, at the age of 60.
He was survived by his second wife, Anna Bjork, and three children: George, a resident in surgery, Monica, and Jon, a resident in oral surgery.
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Who’s Who in Orthopedics
Arthur Ralph HODGSON
1915–1993
Arthur Ralph Hodgson was born in Uruguay to
British parents. He was schooled at home by
his mother. He received his medical education
in Edinburgh and his orthopedic training in
Who’s Who in Orthopedics Norwich, where he was a student of McKee and
Britain. Like all of his generation, Hodgson went into the army and served in India, Burma, and Singapore. At the time of his discharge at the end of World War II, Hodgson was a Lieutenant Colonel. After his discharge, Hodgson returned to England for additional training.
In 1951, Hodgson was appointed senior lec- turer and head of the Orthopedic and Trauma Unit in the Department of Surgery at the University of Hong Kong. It was here that he began his impor- tant work on the treatment of tuberculosis of the spine. The large number of patients and the lack of facilities for long-term conservative treatment made a more aggressive approach necessary and led Hodgson to seek a more radical surgical solu- tion to the problem. He accomplished this by exploiting the anterior approach to the spine with drainage of the abscess, removal of sequestrae, and correction of the deformity. The correction was maintained by strut grafts of cortical bone.
The advent of chemotherapy effective against tuberculosis affected the success of these opera- tions favorably.
The success of Hodgson’s program led the uni- versity to establish a Department of Orthopedic Surgery in 1961. Hodgson was made the head of this department and held the appointment until his retirement in 1975. His ward for crippled children in 1968 had increased to become the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital with 200 beds.
Interest in Hodgson’s work brought him stu- dents from all over the world and many honors, including the award by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of an Order of the British Empire. He lectured extensively in the United States.
After his retirement in 1975, Hodgson returned to Suffolk, England, where he died at the age of 78.
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