Nicholas SENN1844–1908

Who’s Who in Orthopedics Senn was the first surgeon to advocate the reduction and nailing of hip fractures on the basis of animal experiments. In this aspect he was far ahead of his time. When his paper, “The treatment of fractures of the neck of the femur by immedi- ate reduction and permanent fixation,” was first presented at the meeting of the American Surgi- cal Association on June 1, 1883, its concepts were vigorously opposed by all of his listeners, pro- voking Senn to say: “Any person who can hit the head of a femur in a cat will certainly not miss it in operating on a human subject.” However, because of this opposition, he eschewed nailing his patients with hip fractures and treated them by reduction and immobilization in plaster spicas, a method popularized by Royal Whitman. His emphasis on the importance of the impaction of the fractures after reduction was echoed years later by Cotton.

Reference

1. Salmonsen EM (1928–1935) Nicholas Senn, MD, PhD, LLD, (1844–1908) Master surgeon, patholo- gist, and teacher. Bulletin of the Society for Medical History (Chicago) 4:268

303

Nicholas SENN

1844–1908

Nicholas Senn was born in Switzerland and was brought by his immigrant parents to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as a child. After graduating from the local high school, he taught school for a short time before working as a preceptee with a local physician. He graduated from the Chicago Medical School in 1868 and was an intern at the Cook County Hospital for 18 months, before returning to a rural practice in Wisconsin. After 6 years, he moved to Milwaukee and was on the staff of the Milwaukee Hospital. In 1877, he spent a year studying in Munich with Professor Nussbaum, who had visited Lister and was a strong advocate of antiseptic–aseptic surgery.

After his return to the United States, Senn was made professor of surgery in the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons in Chicago, and moved on to become professor of surgery at the Rush Medical College in 1888. About this time, his surgical clinic was one of the busiest in the world, and he attracted international students. A man of inexhaustible energy, Senn wrote incessantly, traveled, served as a medical officer in the Spanish–American War, and even found time to serve as president of the American Medical Asso- ciation in 1897. He was chairman of the editorial board at the inception of Surgery, Gynecology, and Obstetrics in 1905. Following his death in 1908, his library of 40,000 volumes and 60,000 pamphlets became the nucleus of the great medical reference section of the John Crerar Scientific Library in Chicago.

Newton M. SHAFFER

1846–1928

Newton M. Shaffer succeeded Charles Fayette

Taylor as chief of the New York Orthopedic Dis-

pensary and Hospital. In addition he was ortho- pedic surgeon at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. He was the first to describe clinically the deformity that since has acquired a number of synonyms, including that of high contracted arch.

His name was used as an eponym for several decades: “Shaffer’s nondeforming club foot.”

pleted in 1940 and Shands became surgeon-in- chief, a position he held until 1962. He remained medical director of the institute until 1969.

During World War II, Shands served as the senior consultant for orthopedics for the United States Air Force.

Shands made many contributions to the care of children who are crippled, which are reflected in his numerous publications. His Handbook of Orthopedic Surgery became an important educa- tional resource; nine editions were published.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to orthopedics was his essential role in the formation of the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation, and his support of the Orthopedic Research Society. He was honored by elected positions in various orthopedic and other groups. He was a recipient of numerous honorary memberships and honorary degrees. His distinguished presence was noted at the annual meetings of orthopedic societies, where he was especially friendly and encouraging to the young investigators.

As a historian, Shands will be remembered for his article about the development of orthopedics as a specialty in the United States. Many historic articles were published in The Early Orthopedic Surgeons of America.

Reference

1. Shands Jr AR (1970) The Early Orthopedic Sur- geons of America. St. Louis, CV Mosby Co

304 Who’s Who in Orthopedics

Alfred Rives SHANDS

1899–1981

Alfred Rives Shands, Jr., was born in Washington, DC. His father was the first ortho- pedist to practice in the district. When he was 14 years of age, his father, Alfred R. Shands, Sr., was president of the American Orthopedic Associa- tion. The young man graduated from the Univer- sity of Virginia in 1918 and enrolled in Johns Hopkins Medical School. He remained at Johns Hopkins Hospital for surgical and orthopedic training until 1927. He returned to Washington, DC to join his father in practice until 1930, when he was invited to Duke University Medical School to initiate the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the orthopedic residency program. In 1937, Shands left Duke University to become medical director of the Alfred I. duPont Institute in Wilmington, DE.

His first task at the institute was to plan and

supervise the construction of a children’s ortho-

pedic hospital on the grounds of Nemours, the

estate of Alfred I. duPont. The hospital was com-