History

**History of Pediatric Orthopedics in Turkey**

The history of Pediatric Orthopedics in Turkey is equivalent to the history of Turkish Orthopedics. As in the rest of the world, orthopedic issues in Turkey were initially treated by general surgeons. The term "Orthopedics" mostly encompassed congenital or acquired conditions in children, and even other pediatric surgical problems were included under this term. For this reason, just like in the rest of the world, the concept of orthopedics in Turkey started as a field dedicated to treating pediatric disabilities and diseases. In Turkey, the Orthopedics and Traumatology department was initially established under the name of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, with a strong emphasis on the word "Pediatric."

The first practices were conducted under the umbrella of General Surgery. At the beginning of the 1900s, Prof. Dr. Cemil Pasha began to teach topics related to Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics in his surgery classes, marking the first step for Orthopedics.

In 1898, German professors Prof. Rieder and Prof. Dayke Pasha came to Gülhane Hospital. These professors were sending talented Turkish doctors, who could keep pace with Western medicine, to Germany, France, and Austria. One of these doctors was the talented surgeon Dr. Orhan Abdi Bey. He was sent to Germany by Prof. Dr. Rieder Pasha to learn surgery and, particularly, orthopedics. Dr. Orhan Abdi Bey returned to Turkey in 1903 and was appointed as a professor of surgery and orthopedics at the medical faculty. He was the first doctor in Turkey to work and teach in the field of orthopedics from a Western perspective. Later, he adopted the surname "Kurtaran" and worked at Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital.

The person who established and developed Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Orthopedics, and General Orthopedics in Turkey is undoubtedly Prof. Dr. Akif Şakir Şakar. During those years, foreign doctors were invited to Turkey to help advance Turkish medicine, and for orthopedics, Prof. Dr. Mouchet was brought in. Dr. Akif Şakir Bey was appointed as his translator, and while translating for Prof. Dr. Mouchet, he naturally learned orthopedics. In 1923, Dr. Akif Şakir Bey became an associate professor. He not only taught orthopedic classes but also treated patients and became dedicated to pediatric surgery and orthopedics.

When Prof. Dr. Mouchet left in 1925, the classes were temporarily halted as required by law. Dr. Akif Şakir Bey then went to Germany, where he worked alongside prominent orthopedic professors, advancing his expertise.

Upon returning to Turkey in 1929, Dr. Akif Şakir Bey was given a 10-bed Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics ward at Haydarpaşa Hospital. In 1933, he became a professor and, as a result of the University Reform that year, transferred to Şişli Children’s Hospital on the European side of the city. Notably, a children’s hospital was selected by the university for orthopedics.

That same year, Dr. Münir Ahmet Bey was appointed as an associate professor, strengthening Turkish Orthopedics and Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Münir Ahmet Bey also authored a book titled *Child Care* (which had 11 editions). In 1942, the Orthopedics and Pediatric Surgery clinic, which had relocated to Haseki Hospital, reached a capacity of 40 beds, and public lectures on Pediatric Orthopedics were given.

In 1945, a Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics clinic was opened at the Medical Faculty in Ankara, followed by one in İzmir in 1957. In the 1960s, with the great efforts of Prof. Dr. Rıdvan Ege, the first national orthopedic congresses were held, and the Turkish Orthopedics and Traumatology Society (TOTBID) was founded in 1970.

Pediatric Surgery became a separate discipline in 1961, separating from orthopedics. Prof. Dr. Rıdvan Ege’s view that "Every orthopedic specialist should know pediatric orthopedics" remains relevant today. Pediatric Orthopedics has consistently been a focus in the panels and conferences of the National Congress of Orthopedics and Traumatology.

In 1994, the Pediatric Orthopedics Association was founded as a branch of TOTBID in Keçiören, with Prof. Dr. Yücel Tümer serving as its first president. Subsequent presidents included Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Bursalı, Prof. Dr. Haluk Aguş, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Eren, Prof. Dr. Hakan Ömeroğlu, Prof. Dr. Safa Kapıcıoğlu, Prof. Dr. Muharrem Yazıcı, Prof. Dr. Nusret Köse, and Prof. Dr. Cemalettin Aksoy.

In 1999, a second Pediatric Orthopedics Association was established in Istanbul, with Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Bursalı as its founding president. Later, Prof. Dr. Tuncay Centel and Assoc. Dr. Gazi Zorer also served as presidents of this association.

Through these associations, Turkish Pediatric Orthopedics has represented Turkey strongly in international pediatric orthopedic organizations such as EPOS, POSNA, and IFPOS.

In 2013, the Pediatric Orthopedics branch of TOTBID and the Pediatric Orthopedics Association voluntarily ended their activities. Pediatric orthopedic surgeons then united under the newly established Pediatric Orthopedics Association, combining their efforts.

**History of Pediatric Orthopedics in the World**

Hippocrates, born in 460 BC, provided extensive information in his writings on the conservative treatment of many congenital anomalies with orthotic devices. He used various methods to correct clubfoot and crooked legs. For this reason, German researchers referred to Hippocrates as the "surgeon who operated without blood." These methods were later passed on to the ancient Greeks and Arabs, and many books were written on the subject.

Nicholas Andry, the dean of the medical faculty in Paris, advocated in 1743 for the establishment of a medical discipline to prevent and treat congenital deformities in children. He named this field "Orthopedics" and published a book on the subject. At that time, surgery was not yet a separate subject at the Paris Medical Faculty, but Orthopedics was already being taught as a distinct discipline. The term "Orthopedics" was derived from two Greek words: "Orthos" meaning straight or without deformity, and "Pais" or "Pedias" meaning child. Andry explained that his aim was to correct and prevent deformities in children, which is why he named the field "Ortho-Pedia." By the early 1900s, orthopedic and pediatric surgery clinics were being established in all French medical schools and in Germany. After World War I, pediatric surgery and then orthopedics became recognized as separate disciplines in many countries.

In summary, the field of Orthopedics was founded with a focus on children. Developments and contributions followed later. In the 1970s, Pediatric Orthopedics became organized in North America, and a separate association was formed in 1980. Around the same time, Pediatric Orthopedics associations began to be established in Europe as well.