Pediatric Surgeons Through the Years
By: Avantika Samanta
Children are the future – They must be nurtured, taken care of, and when they fall sick, it can be very hard. Through the past years, we have seen countless technological advancement everywhere, specifically in medicine. Medicine is a diverse field, and pediatrics is one part of it. But pediatric surgery is complicated, these are little humans, sometimes they can’t handle excessive or difficult procedures. There have been many changes to pediatric surgery throughout time, and this article takes a look at a few important people and what they accomplished, all of which allows this world to be where it’s at.
Pediatric surgery is a relatively new specialization. Perhaps the most influential surgeon within peds would have to be Dr. William E. Ladd, often known as the “Father of Pediatric Surgery”. He studied at Harvard and he spent much of his surgical career at Harvard Medical School. He was one of the first 3 surgeons to dedicate his surgical career towards helping children. He was an instrumental in the role of pediatrics, and helped shape it into what the field is today. He limited his care for children and infants after World War I, where he worked at the Boston Children’s Hospital. He created uniform policies and treatments for each type of surgical disease, this approach allowed Ladd to improve the care of nearly every type of pediatric disease treatable by cancer. Some of his many contributions made in the field of pediatrics would be when he trained a fleet of surgeons who would go on to become the leaders of the next generation and also his numerous published texts that set the standard for pediatric surgical care. He was one of the early influencers in the field of pediatrics.
Another side of pediatric surgery involves fetal surgery – known as the “Father of Fetal Surgery”, Dr. Michael R Harrison is a world renown and has made significant advancements in his field. He founded, and teaches at the University of California, San Francisco Fetal Treatment Center. In 1981, Harrison performed the first fetal surgery in order to try and correct a urinary tract obstruction. He is widely considered to be the first person to accomplish fetal surgery. He has also developed the use of a fetal-imaging guide system for surgery that helps correct birth deficiencies in fetuses. His surgical facility has treated over 15,000 birth defects, saving and changing the lives for many children in this world.
There have been considerable advancements in recent years in the field of pediatric surgery, and there are bound to be more. One of the more modern surgeons who has changed pediatric surgery for the better would be Doctor Scott P. Bartlett. Bartlett specializes in facial palsy (weakness of the face muscles), Mohs reconstruction (treatment for removing facial skin cancer), and craniomaxillofacial surgery (specializes in the soft tissue and skeletal structure of the face and skull). He has made numerous contributions to pediatric plastic surgery, and continues to do so. He is currently working on research involving 3-D imaging techniques and new forms of single suture synostosis (for more information look at sources). He also holds patents on novel forms of soft tissue and methods of draining and filling soft tissue implants.
These 3 surgeons have made incredible achievements in the field of pediatric surgery, and each of these achievements are quite different. These are only 3 people, but there are so many more. Oftentimes surgeons are scared of pediatrics, these patients are tiny so the risk is far greater. They are considered to be hazardous, but they forget that children are strong. They are brave and resilient, and however hard it may be to operate on them it’s incredibly hard for the child who is experiencing it all. There is still so much to learn, and many improvements to be made, but pediatric surgery is invaluable, and will continue to evolve as time goes on.
Pediatrics Around the World
Written by: Vanessa Cano
Children are the future, and to ensure a strong and healthy future, pediatricians are here to check on the development of adolescents far beyond a common cold or flu. On the global scale, 90 percent of children are living in low and middle income countries that do not have access to as much support or resources to prevent high mortality rates. And there has been a call for those in medicine to take responsibility in being able to improve global health by not only working domestically, but also collaboratively across borders to ensure that people of any nationality, culture, language, religion, or socioeconomic status have access to equal care.
Unfortunately, in low and middle income countries, children face a lack of infection disease control and insufficient disease prevention, armed conflict, malnutrition, etc. Some of the activities that organizations such as the Federation of Pediatric have called for global health training and the creation of medical homes for children. With more funds and advocacy, there can be better research done for vaccines and pharmaceuticals to help lower mortality rates. The World Health Organization has also helped produce clinical guidelines for hospital care in these developing countries. For instance, improving equipment and management such as oxygen delivery and neonatal care.
One of the larger threats to global health are pediatric surgeons who do not have the resources or support to help patients. Remote areas, such as in Kenya, or the province of Aceh, there is poor communication, security, and hospitals that are often under equipped and understaffed, which leave patients unsafe and with lower chances of survival. There has been a wide general understanding that there should be special aid towards cost-effective packages of surgical services.
Adolescent health is becoming more complex than ever. Given that more programs have risen to focus on care and child welfare, countries are often not interacting with other medical professionals in bringing new methods and recognition to global health. Yet, there is still a large way to go. With about 2,300 pediatric neurosurgeons in the world, around 85% are in high and middle income countries – leaving low income countries to be at risk. With more awareness, there can be more programs to train medical professionals for underserved areas.
Work Cited
Pediatric Surgeons Through the Years
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Writers, Staff. “20 Most Innovative Pediatric Surgeons Alive Today.” Top Master’s in Healthcare Administration, 16 Aug. 2019, http://www.topmastersinhealthcare.com/20-most-innovative-pediatric-surgeons-alive-today/.
Zeller, Kristen A, et al. “History of Pediatric Surgery: Pediatric Surgery NaT.” History of Pediatric Surgery | Pediatric Surgery NaT, 2020, http://www.pedsurglibrary.com/apsa/view/Pediatric-Surgery-NaT/829734/all/History_of_Pediatric_Surgery.
Pediatrics Around the World
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Medical Wonders 