The beginnings of orthopaedics in Romania

To offer a glimpse into the orthopaedic practice in Romania during the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century, corresponding to a period when this surgical specialty was defining itself.

As in other parts of the world, in Romania, the orthopaedics and traumatology specialty derived from the main general surgery core. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Romanian doctors were eager to improve and to further develop the medical practice in their home country and, thus, the development of the orthopaedics and traumatology also benefited from this enthusiasm.

A review of the literature was performed and both the online and offline libraries were searched for specific terms. The resulted data was structured and edited into separate subchapters for each doctor.

Summarized biographic information are presented, covering the most distinguished figures that have helped develop orthopedic surgical branch in Romania. Great doctors such as Carol Davila (1828-1884), Constantin Dumitrescu Severeanu (1840-1930), Ernest Juvara (1870-1933), Ioan (Ion) Ghiulamila (1872-1936), Ion (Iancu) Jianu (1880-1972), and Alexandru D. Rădulescu (1886-1979) are some of the most renowned for laying the foundation and for developing modern orthopaedics and traumatology in Romania.

Although up until the late 1860s all doctors practicing in Romania graduated from widely recognized European medical schools, after this period, great surgeons graduated from its own Romanian National Medical School. This led to a blooming development in the surgical and medical field as physicians were competing with each other to bring the best treatments and techniques in medical practice.

Although orthopaedic practice in the early nineteenth century was poorly represented, after sustained reforms and great visionary surgeons, it had rapidly developed into a separate and well-defined surgical specialty by the early twentieth century.