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Anthony F. DePalma, M.D. (1904-)
Fourth Chairman
Third James Edwards Professor (1950-1970) |
With Martin's retirement in 1950, Anthony F.
DePalma was appointed the third
James Edwards Professor and Chairman of the
Department. Three essential ingredients were in
place that could promise further growth and
development for orthopaedic surgery at Jefferson.
Wilson had provided Departmental status, Rugh
pioneered the surgical emphasis for the specialty,
and Martin initiated the Residency program. The
appointment of a full-time faculty in orthopaedics,
however, was still 20 years away. Drs. Wilson,
Rugh, Martin, and DePalma all engaged actively
in the private practice of their specialty from
off-campus offices. They also did their clinical
work in other local hospitals in addition to
Jefferson Hospital. They contributed time to
Jefferson for teaching and managing the
administrative details of the Department.
DePalma soon proved himself to be a forceful
teacher and a busy clinical orthopaedic surgeon.
He was a skillful surgical technician and his
practice eventually grew to huge proportions as
his reputation spread beyond the confines of
Jefferson. A sense of excitement was returned
to orthopaedics by DePalma's surgical experience
and dynamic teaching style. The students were
stimulated, and DePalma influenced many to seek
careers in orthopaedic surgery. Many Jefferson
students who later held orthopaedic faculty
appointments at Jefferson received their graduate
orthopaedic education under him. Among the
group were Drs. Gerald E. Callery (Jefferson,
1943), John J. Dowling (Jefferson, 1947), Hal E.
Snedden (Jefferson, 1950), Jerome M. Cotler
(Jefferson, 1952), James M. Hunter (Jefferson,
1953), J. David Hoffman (Jefferson, 1956), Phillip J.
Marone (Jefferson, 1957), Richard A. Camilli
(Jefferson, 1958), and John M. Fenlin (Jefferson,
1963). Richard H. Rothman, later destined to
become the fifth James Edwards Professor of
Orthopaedic Surgery and Chairman of the
Department in 1986, completed his orthopaedic
residency with DePalma in 1968.
DePalma proved to be a tireless worker both in
his own clinical practice and in academic pursuits. He was a prolific writer, and his
orthopaedic texts are still considered classics. They
appeared as follows: Surgery of the Shoulder (1950)
in three editions; Diseases of the Knee (1954);
Degenerative Changes in the Sternoclavicular and
Acromioclavicular Joints in Various Decades (1957);
The Management of Fractures and Dislocations
(1959), in two volumes; and The Intervertebral Disc,
co-authored with Richard H. Rothman (1970). He
also edited Clinical Orthopaedics a series of
volumes in symposium form produced under the
auspices of the Association of Bone and Joint
Surgeons. Because of his constant productivity,
Jefferson's national prominence in orthopaedics
gradually enlarged.
If DePalma had a weak spot, it was his
tendency to be too much of a "one-man show."
It was difficult for younger faculty members to
develop academically and clinically in this
environment at Jefferson during those days, and
many left to develop their own services elsewhere.
DePalma tended to be somewhat arbitrary and
brusque when he believed he was correct on a
point. As a consequence he did not enjoy a great
personal popularity with the other Philadelphia
orthopaedic professors. This attitude also tended
to hurt him nationally, where he was regarded
with respect but, at the same time, considered
somewhat controversial. These mixed reviews from
his colleagues undoubtedly played some role in
delaying his election to membership in the
American Orthopaedic Association until 1965.
During his chairmanship, DePalma established
an orthopaedic research laboratory in the space
formerly occupied by the Department of
Pathology on the fifth floor of the College
building. In 1953 he became founding editor of
Clinical Orthopaedics, a respected series of volumes
in symposium form still published eight times
yearly by J.B. Lippincott Company. The original
editorial office for this publication was a small
room in the space occupied by the orthopaedic
outpatient clinic on the sixth floor of the Curtis
Clinic Building. In 1970 this orthopaedic
outpatient clinic space was converted into
administrative offices for the Department. From
1970 until 1985, this same small room functioned as
the administrative office for the senior orthopaedic
resident. DePalma founded the Jefferson
Orthopaedic Society in 1960, with membership
offered to former residents and all Jefferson
alumni who had elected careers in orthopaedic
surgery. The Society has remained active and
holds a two-day scientific meeting on the Jefferson
campus yearly. It celebrated its twenty-fifth
anniversary with a special meeting in Puerto Rico
during November, 1984.
It was also during DePalma's tenure as
Chairman that Jefferson developed a specific
presence in the important orthopaedic subspecialty
of hand surgery. After James M. Hunter
(Jefferson, 1953) completed his orthopaedic
residency under DePalma, he took a one-year
fellowship in hand surgery with Dr. Robert E.
Carroll at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
in New York. He returned to Jefferson and
became the first Philadelphia orthopaedic surgeon
to confine his practice totally to surgery of the
hand. He originally began practice in association
with DePalma but later opened his own office. He
was joined by his first associate, Dr. Lawrence H.
Schneider, in 1969. As noted previously, Jefferson
had no full-time orthopaedic faculty as yet, and
all members supported themselves by a private
practice conducted in outside offices. From the
outset, Hunter was considered
Jefferson's hand surgeon, and he responded by
keeping his office close to the Jefferson campus
and by doing almost all of his surgical work in
Jefferson Hospital. Hunter was a hard worker and
innovative researcher in both the basic and clinical
spheres. His research led, ultimately, to the
development of the "Hunter tendon" in 1965, the
first successful artificial tendon for use in
reconstructing severely damaged hands. |
 Hunter's reputation as a hand surgeon grew
over the years, progressing from a local to an
international stature. In 1978 he coauthored
Rehabilitation of the Hand with Lawrence H.
Schneider, M.D., Evelyn J. Mackin, L.PT, and
Judith A. Bell, O.T.R. A second edition with
additional collaborators appeared in 1984. His
clinical load grew proportionately, requiring him
progressively to increase his professional and
support staff. By 1985 this group totalled four
hand surgeons, four hand fellows and a support
staff of approximately 50 persons, all housed in a
building at Ninth and Walnut Streets known as
the Hand Rehabilitation Center. Although hand
surgery at Jefferson began and remains an
essentially private practice, this group officially
accepted the designation of Division of Hand
Surgery of the Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery when the Department was later
reorganized by Dr. John J. Gartland, the fourth
James Edwards Professor. This reorganization gave
administrative structure to hand surgery and
allowed participation in the organized educational
programs of the Department without forcing a
change in their financial arrangements by
acceptance of full-time status within the
Department.
DePalma was the busiest orthopaedic clinician
Jefferson ever had or, possibly, ever will have.
His clinical practice was enormous, with a huge
surgical caseload. As pleasant as this appeared to
be to hospital administrators, a price had to be
paid. The price was a gradual lessening of the
effort put into educational programs for students
and residents. Although DePalma tried hard, it
was simply impossible for one person to do it all.
As a consequence, he delegated much of the
responsibility for conducting the educational
programs to junior faculty but without giving
them authority to make needed changes. At first
this seemed to work well, as many junior
faculty appeared stimulated by the challenge to
teach. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm waned
as they gradually realized there was little chance
to develop a clinical practice at Jefferson as long
as DePalma remained so busy. He incorporated
many of the junior faculty into his office as
"Associates" and between 1952 and 1970 there were
at least ten such associates. The bulk of
responsibility for student teaching fell to Dr. John
J. Dowling. He accomplished the assignment so
well that the Jefferson Class of 1974 honored him
by presenting his portrait to the College. He also
served as President of the Alunmi Association in
1984.
Between 1950 and 1970 the residency program
had been gradually enlarged to a total of 24 Residents
basically as a response to the large
clinical volume. During this period the hospitals
used for resident education in orthopaedics
were Jefferson, Philadelphia General, Methodist,
and the State Hospital for Crippled Children at
Elizabethtown. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia
General Hospital was approaching the end of its
unique history as a Philadelphia institution, and
orthopaedic attending coverage for the residents
was sparse. In 1969 the Residency Review
Committee for Orthopaedic Surgery noted the
imbalance of the Jefferson program toward service
demands as compared to educational commitments
and strongly suggested the program be
reorganized with a larger educational base.
DePalma was a very active participant in
Jefferson affairs and chaired many important
faculty and medical staff committees. He served as
President of the Altunni Association in 1959. He
made many lasting and significant contributions
to the growth and development of orthopaedic
surgery at Jefferson. Although intangible,
perhaps, his most important contribution was a
legacy of Departmental strength, vitality, and
professionalism. He inherited a Department that
was admittedly weak in staff members, clinical
volume, and faculty influence. His tireless energy
and enthusiasm achieved an enlarged clinical
volume, enhanced the teaching programs, and
commanded faculty respect. He retired as
Chairman in 1970 and was followed by Dr. John J. Gartland (Jefferson, 51944) as the fourth James
Edwards Professor. At the time of DePalma's
retirement, the Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery, although still small by most faculty
standards, was generally agreed to be one of the
stronger Departments of the institution. The Class
of 1962 presented his portrait to the College. In
1975, five years after his retirement as Chairman,
Dr. DePalma was awarded Jefferson's Alumni
Achievement Award.
John J. Gartland, M.D.
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