The history of the Campbell Clinic

The history of the Campbell Clinic is deeply seated in the accomplishments of Dr. Willis Cahoon Campbell. At the age of 26 he decided to live in Memphis and become an orthopaedic surgeon. At the time Memphis was growing rapidly and orthopaedic surgery was evolving as a surgical specialty. These conditions provided him with the opportunity to do many things that were visionary. He established the Campbell Clinic and the orthopaedic department of the medical school and aided in founding hospitals and clinics for private patients and patients who were indigent. His major contributions to the field of orthopaedics include the recruitment of outstanding associates who would follow and build on his high standards of performance, the establishment of an outstanding residency program, the publication of Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics, and providing leadership for many orthopaedic surgeons. It can be said without reservation that Campbell and the early staff members played an important role in the growth of orthopaedic surgery essentially from its infancy and into the second half of the century. The legacy of excellence that Campbell and all the members of the staff established has continued to be the hallmark of the Campbell Clinic.