Foundation and development of the oldest orthopedic department and clinic of Russia

Issues of the foundation and development of scientific schools, medical specialties, departments, and clinics of the Military Medical Academy of S.M. Kirov, as well as their succession, remain largely debatable to this day. Moreover, their study appears to be extremely interesting when understanding the processes underlying the differentiation of the fundamental sections of medicine, formation of new areas of surgery, and their evolution to the state of independent surgical specialties. Several archival documents, reports, historical essays on the departments of desmurgy and mechanurgy, orthopedics, military field surgery, desmurgy and orthopedics, orthopedics and traumatology, and traumatology and orthopedics are analyzed. The origins of the formation and stages of transformation of the modern department of military traumatology and orthopedics are traced. Scientific orthopedics in Russia was started at the end of the 18th century in the bowels of the fundamental surgical departments of the Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy. On March 7, 1836, by the resolution of the conference of the Academy, the Department of Surgery was divided into the Department of General and Private Surgery with theoretical oculistics and the Department of Operative Surgery and Oculistics, Desmurgy and Mechanurgy, and Surgery on troupes. On February 20, 1888, an independent department of desmurgy and mechanurgy was established at the Academy. On March 24, 1900 (April 6, O.S.), based on Order No. 301 of the Minister of War of October 29, 1899, the Academy Conference decided to create the Orthopedic Clinic headed by Professor G.I. Turner, and the date mentioned went down in history as the birthday of the first orthopedic chair and clinic in Russia. From August 21, 1924, to August 8, 1931, it was renamed the Department of Military Field Surgery, Desmurgy and Orthopedics (Order no. 205 of August 9, 1924, by the Military Sanitary Department), and the reading of this subject was assigned to the senior assistant of the department E.Yu. Osten-Sacken who prepared the corresponding programs. From August 8, 1931, the department and the clinic reverted to their former name – the Department and Clinic of Orthopedics, and Professor V.A. Oppel headed already an independent, established based on the Decree of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Revolutionary Military Council of April 2, 1931, the Department of Military Field Surgery. In 1955, the Department of Orthopedics was renamed the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology (Directive of the Chief of Staff of the Army No. OSN 5/1367869 of November 28, 1955), and in 1960, due to the pronounced traumatological orientation in educational and clinical work, to the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics (Directive of the Chief of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Defense Ministry No. ST/2/711247 of June 4, 1960). In 1974 the department was renamed Military Traumatology and Orthopedics Department (Directive No. 158/0267 of the Headquarters of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Armed Forces Rear No. 158/0267 of February 15, 1974). Based on the analysis, it appears reasonable to offer readers a view of the prehistory of the origin, continuity, and development of the specialty “traumatology and orthopedics” at the Military Medical Academy of S.M. Kirov.