Robert Bruce Salter (December 15, 1924 – May 10, 2010) was a

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surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and a pioneer in the field of

pediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

surgery. Born in

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River (Ontario), Avon River within Perth County, Ontario, Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population of 33,232 in a land area of . Stratford is the County seat, s ...

, he graduated in medicine from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1947, worked for two years at the Grenfell Medical Mission in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, and spent one year as the McLaughlin Fellow in

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. Salter then returned to join the medical staff at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 1955. He was later appointed surgeon-in-chief. Salter developed a procedure to correct congenital dislocation of the hip, pioneered

continuous passive motion Continuous passive motion (CPM) devices are used during the first phase of rehabilitation following a soft tissue surgical procedure or trauma. The goals of phase 1 rehabilitation are: control post-operative pain, reduce inflammation, provide pass ...

for the treatment of joint injuries, and co- developed a classification of growth plate injuries in children, commonly known as the Salter–Harris fractures classification system. He also developed the supraacetabular innominate osteotomy (i.e. the Salter osteotomy) to treat operatively congenital

dislocation of hip A hip dislocation is when the thighbone (femur) separates from the hip bone (pelvis). Specifically it is when the ball–shaped head of the femur (femoral head) separates from its cup–shaped socket in the hip bone, known as the acetabulum. Th ...

. His textbook of orthopaedic surgery, ''Disorders and Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System'', is used throughout the world. He was made an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1977 and was promoted to companion in 1997. In 1988, he was awarded the

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. In 1995 he was inducted into the

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. He was also a fellow of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada, and received the

Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a ...

for medical science, the FNG Starr Medal of the

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; ) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive change in health care by advocating on key hea ...

and the

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-Zimmer Award for Distinguished Achievement in Orthopaedic Research. Salter died on May 10, 2010.

References

External links

Robert Bruce Salter
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

Biography
1924 births 2010 deaths University of Toronto alumni Canadian medical researchers Canadian orthopedic surgeons Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Companions of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario People from Stratford, Ontario Fellows of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada {{Canada-med-bio-stub