The establishment of orthopedics in Croatia

Božidar Špišić was a pioneer of Croatian orthopedics. In 1908 he founded the first private orthopedic clinic in the entire South Slav region. During the First World War he organized and headed the first orthopedic hospital for the rehabilitation and resocialization of wounded soldiers. In the interwar period, Špišić was tasked with establishing the orthopedic clinic within the auspices of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. This effort in shaping and developing orthopedics in Croatia would not have been possible without his participation in a wide network of internationally renowned orthopedists. After graduating from the University of Graz in 1904, Špišić spent the next 4 years specializing in orthopedics with Hans Spitzy, Arnold Wittek, Fritz Lange and, most importantly, Adolf Lorenz. In this paper, we have reconstructed the transfer of knowledge and experiences between these prominent Austrian and German orthopedists and Božidar Špišić. We have paid special attention to the identification of those elements in Špišić’s work that can be traced back to his mentor, teacher and lifelong colleague Adolf Lorenz, such as his treatment for congenital hip dislocation. We believe that the analysis of professional networks can shed additional light on the historiography of orthopedics, given that these influences did not manifest solely through the acquisition of specialized clinical knowledge but also through a profound influence on the core tenets of orthopedics as a discipline—its institutional organization and overall conservative approach.