November 2014 CE

NOVEMBER 2014 | The Surgical Technologist | 503 saw to remove the ends of the bone that created “the least possible shortening compatible with clean-fitting surfaces.” Using a device of his own making, Dr Howard drilled two pairs of holes through the proximal and distal bones and passed a suture of stout annealed iron wire to reduce and secure the bone edges. The amount of bone that Dr Howard had to excise was considerable, yet effective. Though an open reduction internal fixation procedure is a standard orthopedic operation today, Dr Howard’s methods were not embraced by the medical profession. His colleagues objected to placing a foreign substance into a wound. Orthopedics was not officially recognized until 1887 when the American Orthopedic Association was founded. However, the foundations of this specialty were practiced by many pioneering surgeons who recognized the impor- tance of restoring proper function to patient’s broken bones, foundations that still influence today’s orthopedic protocols. A B O U T T H E A U T H O R Tony Forgione, CST, LPN, has almost 40 years of experience as a surgical technologist. His career has spanned from the US Navy to the Massachusetts General Hospi- tal, where he continues to work. Tony is also the Supervisory Oper- ating Room Nurse for the International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT), a federally mandated disaster team. In addi- tion, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts at Bos- ton. Tony spent 20 years demonstrating his interest in history as a Civil War reenactor. R E F E R E N C E S 1. Bull, W; Bull, M. Something in the Ether: A Bicen- tennial History of Massachusetts General Hospital, 1811 – 2011. Memoires Unlimited, April 2011. 2. Cohen, D. Orthopedics at War. www.CivilWarMedi- cine\OrthopedicsatWar.html Accessed September 2014. 3. Freemon, FB; Gangrene and Glory: Medical Care during the American Civil War,” University of Illinois Press. Chicago. 2001. 4. Hammond to Stanton, September 7, 1862. Secretary of War Correspondence, National Archives. Reproduced in MSH. Surgical Volume (3): 394. 5. Howard, B, MD. “The Application of Sutures to Bone in Recent Gun-Shot Fractures.” Medico-Chirugicall Transactions, 1865; 245-253. 6. Billings, JS, MD. Letter to his wife from the field hospital in Gettysburg. Pennsylvania. 7. Kuz, J, MD; Bengtson, B, MD. Orthopedic Injuries of the Civil War. Ken- nesawMountain Press. Kennesaw, 1996. 8. Instrument case for amputation during Civil War. Courtesy of Naval History & Heritage Command