Orthopedics is the branch of surgery that deals with the skeletal system, treating injuries or diseases that affect the bones, muscles, joints, or ligaments.
The history of orthopedic knowledge goes back to BC. The oldest archaeological findings related to fixing broken bones have been discovered in ancient Egypt. In 1862 Edwin Smith, an American Egyptologist, managed to discover a papyrus belonging to 2800 BC in the temple of Thebes, Egypt. This papyrus describes 48 clinical reports, including the description of the transfer and fixation of bone fractures. The ancient Greeks, including Hippocrates, and after them the doctors of other civilizations, such as ancient Rome, used splints made of wood to stabilize broken bone fragments. Another example is the use of Galen as a pioneer in this knowledge of Traction, of placing fractured bones under tension.
In ancient times and ancient civilizations, treatments for some problems such as sprains, fractures, limb amputations or other skeletal problems have been carried out, such as the use of plaster by Australian aborigines to fix fractures in old texts or papyrus tablets dating back 3600 years. From bamboo wood called splint, honey to control infection and raw meat to control bleeding have been written.
After the emergence of Islamic civilization and with the gradual formation of the translation of books and manuscripts, the transfer of knowledge from great civilizations such as ancient Iran, Rome and India to other civilizations and countries of the world took place. It reached its peak of growth and prosperity sometime between the 8th century and the 13th century. An event that in the following years had an impact on medical knowledge and its education in other countries of the world. For this reason, this time period of 750-1258 AD is called the golden age of medical knowledge in the Eastern world. The remarkable developments of this time period are due to the presence of scholars such as Muhammad bin Zakariya Razi 925-865 AD, Ali Ibn Abbas Majosi Ahwazi 949-982 AD, and Hakim Jurjani 1137-1042 AD.

The word (Orthopedie) is derived from two parts, Ortho, which means straightening and correcting, paidios, which means child. Of course, some believe that the second part of podos means organs, and because of the same root and the same meaning, it is mistakenly considered to mean child. The word orthopedics was first mentioned by Dr. Nicolas Andry, a French doctor and professor at the University of Paris in 1741. In one of his books, Dr. Andrey showed a picture of a crooked tree tied to a straight rod by a rope, which was used as a symbol of orthopedic science. This book was written with the title "The Art of Correcting and Preventing Malformations in Children" along with theories about anatomy, skeletal structure, and human body development, and it provided appropriate treatment methods for correcting congenital malformations, so that In addition to doctors, it was also noticed by parents.
Dr. Jean-André Venelle founded the first orthopedic institute in 1780 in Switzerland, followed by the opening of the first hospital for the treatment of children's skeletal deformities, as well as inventing a walking shoe for children who are born with foot deformities, and using methods He is considered as one of the most influential doctors in the history of orthopedic knowledge.
In the 18th century, advances in surgical technique were made. John Hunter's research on tendon repair and Percival Pott's work on spinal deformity steadily expanded the range of new methods available for effective treatment.
Antonius Matthiessen, a Dutch military surgeon, invented plaster of paris in 1851.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was considerable debate about whether orthopedics should include surgical procedures at all.
Dr. Abraham Callies, who was the president of the College of Surgeons of Ireland, wrote in 1811 in the book Surgical Anatomy and in 1818 in a book about peduncle disease about the fracture of the end of the radius bone, which is also known as Callies' fracture, and opened the most luxurious office in Dublin for Treatment of bone-related diseases established.
Mr. Dr. Mercer Rang has also studied the history of orthopedics in the 19th century in the book History of Orthopedics.
Dr. Samuel Gross, American surgeon and physician, author of numerous medical books, in 1830 translated and published the first specialized medical book in the field of orthopedics called Anatomy, Physiology, and Diseases of the Bones and Joints, which was written by a surgeon from the United States of America. did
However, until the 1890s, orthopedics was still a study limited to the correction of deformities in children. One of the first developed surgical methods was percutaneous tenotomy. This involves cutting a tendon, which is essentially the Achilles tendon, to help treat bone abnormalities along with bracing and exercise.
In 1898, William Roentgen made a great contribution to medical imaging and imaging of broken organs with the discovery of X-rays.
At the beginning of the 19th century, with the emergence of numerous wars in the world and the increase in the number of injured, new methods for treating fractures and bone and joint injuries were created. Also, with the passage of time, the tools and devices used in orthopedics became more specialized, more complex and more professional.
The knowledge and skill of modern orthopedics recorded its treatment differences by doctors almost 60 years ago in 1970-1950.
Arthroscopy by Dr. Masaki Watana