Ireneusz Wierzejewski: treatment of amputees of the upper limb in Poznan during the Great War

Abstract

Introduction: The Great War (1914–1918) caused a dramatic increase in the number of limbless invalids. Orthopaedics became the field of medicine that could offer the most effective help for those patients. Objective: This review article aims to present how new operations and methods in the field of orthopaedics spread to other countries during the Great War. Methods: Historical photographs of patients treated by being given hand prostheses are analysed and discussed as a case study of the transfer of orthopaedic techniques in Europe. The pictures were taken in a provincial military hospital, directed by Ireneusz Wierzejewski, the pioneer of orthopaedics in Poland. Results: The methods of preparing stumps for prostheses at Wierzejewski’s hospital followed the patterns of the time. In some cases, the prostheses were further modified to better help patients return to their former lives. Conclusion: The case of the Fortress Hospital in Poznań demonstrates that kinetic hand prostheses were also available in provincial hospitals. Modern orthopaedic procedures remain an effective treatment and a way to restore amputees to society.