Donato D’Angelo – a pioneer☆

of his doctoral thesis presented in 1970, gives an idea to our he beginnings of orthopedics as an academic institution and pecific professional activity in Brazil dates back to approxiately 60 years ago. Before then, patients with clinical problems of the locootor apparatus were treated by surgeons or pediatricians, nd those with problems resulting from trauma by surgeons r curious individuals who had the skill of putting bones and oints “back into place”. Orthopedics began through the actions of some self-taught hysicians and others who had the possibility of undergoing raining abroad and brought knowledge acquired at clinics in ther countries. The dissemination of this knowledge was very slow. It was one through books and a very small number of journals in forign languages that were sent to Brazil. In this manner, these entlemen had great power: the power of knowledge. Jealous f this power, some of these pioneers shared this knowldge very parsimoniously and only allowed close assistants o acquire part of this knowledge, which had been brought ack with “such difficulty”. The power of some of these first professors resembled that f a “king”, since they determined approaches and treatments n a way that did not allow questioning and they acted on heir assistants’ lives in an authoritarian manner. They even ecided where their assistants should work. The relationship in most clinics was one of unquestioning bedience or dismissal, and the relationship between clinics as similar to what existed in Europe at the time of the small efdoms: respect for my power or war. Orthopedics lost out greatly during those years, since any orm of development was regarded as a threat. Some of these ugust professors did not accept being questioned and, withut the stimulus of questioning, became mediocre. It was rare or them to return to the major centers of Europe or the United tates for updates. Exchange of information was seen as a hreat.