Every year on May 20, doctors all over the world, whose activities are related to traumatology and orthopedics, celebrate their professional holiday – Traumatologist’s Day. On this day, traumatologists go to work and receive congratulations during the performance of their professional duties. This profession is worthy of respect, because very often the competent actions of a traumatologist influence not only the health, but also the life of the patient.
This speciality has got a long centuries-old history, which is not surprising – after all, people have been injured at all times, and thus learned to treat them. The evidences of this is constantly being found by archaeologists: for example, on ancient Egyptian mummies and the remains of soldiers of Ancient Rome, traces of operations and signs of fracture fusion are often found. It is believed that the foundations of traumatology were laid by the famous ancient Greek scientist and philosopher Hippocrates, who is often called the “father of medicine”. In his works, he presented views on the management of therapy at injuries, many of which are recognized as literate today.
In fact, it was traumatology that served as the basis for the formation of another, no less important and much more extensive field of clinical medicine – surgery. However, despite their antiquity, traumatology and orthopedics were recognized as independent scientific and practical disciplines only at the beginning of the XX century.
Traumatologists do not choose patients. People come to the oculist to treat the eyes, to the cardiologist – the heart, to the gastroenterologist – the stomach. And a traumatologist can get a patient who is ill with everything and has also unsuccessfully broken his leg. Thus it is necessary to work in cooperation with other doctors. It requires professionalism, literacy and utmost care. High responsibility explains the many years of training that every student must take. During the training, not only basic and special medicine is mastered, but also a number of additional disciplines, the knowledge of which is necessary in order to help people.
On this day, everyone who has ever been injured, fractures, dislocations, is ready to say words of gratitude to everyone who stands guard over our health. After all, it is the prompt and confident actions of doctors treating injuries that allow many of us to return to a normal lifestyle in a short time after injuries, and for someone it is even a chance to save his life!
MAY 20 – WORLD TRAUMATOLOGIST DAY
