Imagine lying down on a hospital gurney and a doctor closing in on you with a foot-long abdominal retractor or taking a swing with an orthopedic hammer. Lucky for patients these tools have long been retired, but are now on display at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria as part of a look at B.C.’s medical history from the 1800s until 1968.
The newest addition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Dr. Fouad Ahmed Hamdi’s invention and successful insertion of Canada’s first artificial vertebra on Aug. 2, 1968. Hamdi performed spinal surgery on 65-year-old patient William Hamilton and it’s success led to huge demand for the gruelling six-hour procedure with the stainless steel prosthesis.
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“Preserving the past and learning from our history is incredibly important, and it’s great to be able to highlight surgical artifacts and interventions that we have learned from,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “By highlighting the 50th anniversary of Hamdi’s surgical innovation, we’re able to see what great things we were capable of then, and now.”
This photo gallery shows off some of’ Hamdi’s equipment, the first ever artificial vertebrae and other artifacts collected from across the province.
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