The information you will find here is for educational purposes only and can never replace the doctor-patient relationship. Request an appointment if you have had any signs or symptoms.

HISTORY OF HAND SURGERY

Hand Surgery began as a medical specialty in the period of the Second World War. Complex battlefield injuries involving the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, joints, nerves, and blood vessels of the upper limb were then common. The difficulty of assembling and coordinating different specialists (Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, Vascular Surgery and Neurosurgery) in the same surgical act was huge.

It was then that Dr. Sterling Bunnell, considered the "father of the specialty", advocated the concept that there should be a "regional surgeon" who would be able to reconstruct all structures in the upper limb: bones, joints, nerves, skin and soft tissue injuries. In 1944, he helped treat the upper limb injuries of many American soldiers, who returned from the fronts in Europe, Africa, and Asia. At the age of 62, Bunnell left his private clinic and began traveling around the country, creating nine hand treatment centers. Many young surgeons were trained there, such as Barski, Littler, Fowler, among others.

After the Second World War, Brazil was visited by renowned experts in hand surgery such as Pulvertaft, Watson Jones, Trueta and Sterling Bunnell. This was the stimulus for creation of the Brazilian Society of Hand Surgery. A few months and courses after that visit, the first major event of the SBCM was the first International Congress of Hand Surgery, held in Rio de Janeiro from July 19 to 21, 1965. From this event, SBCM has been growing every year, conquering space internationally. The SBCM created the Continuing Education Commission (CEC) and the Teaching and Training Commission (CET) to encourage and enhance scientific knowledge among the old and new members.

Currently, the SBCM has over 500 members and has held more than 37 national congresses, 28 national seminars and 54 regional courses, disseminating knowledge related to hand surgery in Brazil.

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