Epilogue:

In 1741, Nicolas Andry published the first edition of ORTHOPAEDIA, thereby defining for the first time the art and science that has become orthopaedic surgery. The word orthopaedic comes to us from the Greek meaning, freely translated, to straighten the crooked child. He illustrated his volume with numerous copper engravings, including drawings of children and mothers. The most famous drawing, however, was that of the splinted tree. It has since become the symbol of man's eternal struggle against the mistakes of nature.

last edited: 23 August 2003