This book charts the history of the worldwide introduction of an operative treatment method for broken bones, osteosynthesis, by a Swiss-based association, called AO. The success of the close cooperation between the AO's surgeons, scientists and manufacturers in establishing a complicated and risky technique as a standard treatment sheds light on the mechanisms of medical innovation at the crossroads of surgery, science and industry and the nature of modern medicine in general.

Examining the complex dynamics of medical treatment options and the variable character of surgical technologies, this volume broadens and transcends the notion of technological innovation.

Materials science institutions have always been crucial to the development of materials research. Even before materials science emerged as a discipline in the 20th century, these institutions existed in various forms. They provided specialized facilities for research, educated new generations of researchers, drafted policies and funded programs, enabled valuable connections between research groups, or played any other role which were needed to further the progress of materials science.This volume, the third in a series of volumes covering the development and history of materials science, presents illuminating perspectives on material science institutions. Twenty chapters are organized into six comprehensive parts of which each cover a characteristic aspect or historical feature. True to the topic they write about, the contributors to this volume have varied backgrounds. Some are materials scientists and engineers, but others are historians, philosophers of science, sociologists, or even directors of institutions themselves. This comprehensive, unified collection is a valuable resource for undergraduates, graduate students, academics, policymakers and professionals who are actively interested in materials science and its development from the past to the future.

This handbook covers the technical, social and cultural history of surgery. It reflects the state of the art and suggests directions for future research. It discusses what is different and specific about the history of surgery - a manual activity with a direct impact on the patient’s body. The individual entries in the handbook function as starting points for anyone who wants to obtain up-to-date information about an area in the history of surgery for purposes of research or for general orientation. Written by 26 experts from 6 countries, the chapters discuss the essential topics of the field (such as anaesthesia, wound infection, instruments, specialization), specific domains areas (for example, cancer surgery, transplants, animals, war), but also innovative themes (women, popular culture, nursing, clinical trials) and make connections to other areas of historical research (such as the history of emotions, art, architecture, colonial history). Chapters 16 and 18 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

The Total Hip Replacement was invented by British surgeons after World War Two. It became the basis of a multi-billion global industry in joint replacement. This pioneering study ranges from inventive surgeons to multi-national manufacturers and explores total hip replacement in the very different health economies of the UK and the US.

Developed in conjunction with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, this comprehensive textbook provides readers with the full scope of surgical practice for patients with diseases of the colon and rectum. Expert surgeons, all active both as educators and with busy clinical practices, have written concise and practical chapters on the most commonly done procedures while providing much-needed insight on less frequently presentations, as well. The ASCRS Textbook is designed to meet the needs not only of colorectal specialists, but also the general surgeon in practice whose caseload includes patients with disorders and diseases of the colon, rectum and anus. Residents and fellows will also find a wealth of hands-on guidance and practical tips and tricks. The ASCRS Practice Parameters are incorporated in the book along with an appendix providing the most up-to-the minute access to best practice guidelines. Patient care and safety are addressed in each chapter. "[The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery] is a long awaited textbook for those in the field and it does not disappoint. It is brief and to the point, but does not lack the necessary detail expected from a society-produced publication. [It has an] easy-to-read quality that enhances comprehension for the trainee. It is by no means just a student textbook. The inclusion of "hot" current topics, like the anal fistula plug, makes it fresh and useful for experienced surgeons. This is an excellent addition to the colorectal library." (Doody's Review)

This open access book looks at the dramatic history of ovariotomy, an operation to remove ovarian tumours first practiced in the early nineteenth century. Bold and daring, surgeons who performed it claimed to be initiating a new era of surgery by opening the abdomen. Ovariotomy soon occupied a complex position within medicine and society, as an operation which symbolised surgical progress, while also remaining at the boundaries of ethical acceptability. This book traces the operation’s innovation, from its roots in eighteenth-century pathology, through the denouncement of those who performed it as ‘belly-rippers’, to its rapid uptake in the 1880s, when ovariotomists were accused of over-operating. Throughout the century, the operation was never a hair’s breadth from controversy.

Examining the history of arterial repair, Of Life and Limb investigates the process of surgical innovation by exploring the social, technological, institutional, and martial dynamics shaping the introduction and adoption ofa new operation.