John Charnley

John Charnley
John Charnley
Born	29 August 1911 Bury in Lancashire
Died	5 August 1982
Nationality	United Kingdom
Fields	orthopaedic surgeon
Alma mater	Victoria University of Manchester
Known for	hip replacement

Sir John Charnley (29 August 1911 – 5 August 1982) was a British orthopaedic surgeon. He pioneered the hip replacement operation, which is now one of the most common operations both in the UK and elsewhere in the world. He also demonstrated the fundamental importance of bony compression in operations to arthrodese (fuse) joints, in particular the knee, ankle and shoulder.

John Charnley also influenced generations of orthopaedic surgeons by his eminent textbook on conservative fracture treatment first published in 1950.

Hip implant

Sir John Charnley is recognized as the founder of modern hip replacement. His staggering contributions to hip replacement were in the design of the replacement itself, the method of surgery to place this replacement into the hip, how to optimize the flow of the operation, how to decrease infections in this operation, and how to teach this operation to others. The last contribution remains his most sustainable as Charnley taught countless international surgeons the scientific basis as well as the technique of hip replacement. These surgeons then spread the globe and taught these successful techniques worldwide. As of 2011, many of these original surgeons are still alive and still teaching hip replacement.

There are many hip surgeons who will tell you that from a fundamental point of view, the advances in hip surgery after John Charnley are a fraction of the advances of John Charnley. This is not a comment of how little we have advanced but rather how far ahead of his time he was.

The hip implant pioneered by Charnley comprised a stainless steel stem and 22mm head fitting into a polymer socket, both parts being fixed into position by PMMA cement. Prior to his development of the design that for many years became the gold standard of joint replacement, Charnley experimented with other materials as a cushioning surface in the hip including Teflon. Teflon was unsuccessful and as a testament to Charnley's will and determination he did not let this early failure deter him from seeking out a successful solution to hip arthritis.

Career

Charnley was born in Bury in Lancashire. After excelling in science subjects at Bury Grammar School, Charnley was encouraged to aim for medicine. He commenced undergraduate studies at the Victoria University of Manchester in 1929, and qualified with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Science (Anatomy and Physiology) in 1935.

He was awarded the 1975 Lister Medal for his contributions to surgical science. The corresponding Lister Oration, given at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, was delivered on 26 May 1976, and was titled 'The Origins of Post-Operative Sepsis in Elective Surgery'.

Charnley was knighted in 1977.

References

• Bigliani, Louis U; Cofield Robert H, Flatow Evan L, Fukuda Hiro-aki, Hawkins Richard J, Matsen Frederick A, Morrison David S, Rockwood Charles A, Warren Russell F (2009). "Charles Neer: on the giant of the shoulder". Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery (United States) 18 (3): 333–8. doi:10.1016/j.jse.2009.01.033. PMID 19393927. 
• Top 1000 Scientists: From the Beginning of Time to 2000 AD Philip Barker ISBN 81-7371-2107

External links

• Oxford Journal Biography