200 years orthopaedic surgery

The term orthopaedics was first used by a French physician named Nicolas An dry in 1742. Since then the meaning of the term has changed dramatically. S tarting as the planned title of a guidebook for parents it developed to bec ome the name of a new medical discipline. During the 19th century orthopaed ic surgery was dominated by private institutions, which were a privilege of the wealthy. Orthopaedic surgery as we know it in Germany today developed mostly from the so called, cripple asylums" (Kruppelheime). Their main obje ctive was the treatment of infections of bones and joints, scoliosis and of hereditary diseases. Many of these orthopaedic diseases lost their importa nce due to prophylaxis and early diagnosis. The great improvements in the l iving conditions led to a change regarding the age of the patients and the diseases treated. Until world war II mostly children were treated by orthop aedic surgeons. After world war II orthopaedic surgeons have adjusted to th e demographic change and have increasingly been treating elder patients. Th e development and the spread of prostheses display the increasing importanc e of age related illnesses.