Alan Graham Apley
Encyclopedia
Alan Graham Apley FRCS was a British
orthopaedic surgeon and educator known for his textbook, Apley's System of Orthopaedics and Fractures, and for the Apley grind test
in meniscal
injury.
Jewish immigrants. He studied medicine at University College Hospital
, qualifying MBBS
in 1938. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1941. He served in the Army Medical Corps
in Burma during the Second World War. After completing his training, he became a consultant at the Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Hospital, Pyrford
, where he started his FRCS course in 1948. The "Pyrford Postgraduate Course", which became known as the "Apley Course", continued twice yearly for many years, with over 5,000 trainees attending them. Satellite courses were also set up in New York
and Toronto
, also running for over 15 years. Notes from this course were turned into a textbook, Apley's System of Orthopaedics and Fractures, which was first published in 1959, and is now in its ninth edition. He designed the first purpose-built emergency department
in the south of England
at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey. He became director of orthopaedics at St Thomas' Hospital
in 1972, and was elected to the council of the Royal College of Surgeons
in 1973. He was Honorary Treasurer of the British Orthopaedic Association from 1972 to 1977, and received an Honorary Fellowship in 1985. He became editor of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
in 1984. He was subsequently awarded the Honorary Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons. He died in 1996.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
orthopaedic surgeon and educator known for his textbook, Apley's System of Orthopaedics and Fractures, and for the Apley grind test
Apley grind test
The Apley grind test or Apley test is used to evaluate individuals for problems in the meniscus of the knee.In order to perform the test, the patient lays prone on an examination table and flexes their knee to a ninety degree angle. The examiner then places his or her own knee across the posterior...
in meniscal
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
injury.
Biography
Alan Apley was born in London in 1914, the youngest son of PolishPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Jewish immigrants. He studied medicine at University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
, qualifying MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
in 1938. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1941. He served in the Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
in Burma during the Second World War. After completing his training, he became a consultant at the Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Hospital, Pyrford
Pyrford
Pyrford is an English village that for centuries had historical links with the monastery of Westminster, in whose possession it remained between the Norman Conquest and the Dissolution of the Monasteries nearly five hundred years later. It is thirty miles by road from central London and situated...
, where he started his FRCS course in 1948. The "Pyrford Postgraduate Course", which became known as the "Apley Course", continued twice yearly for many years, with over 5,000 trainees attending them. Satellite courses were also set up in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, also running for over 15 years. Notes from this course were turned into a textbook, Apley's System of Orthopaedics and Fractures, which was first published in 1959, and is now in its ninth edition. He designed the first purpose-built emergency department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
in the south of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey. He became director of orthopaedics at St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
in 1972, and was elected to the council of the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1973. He was Honorary Treasurer of the British Orthopaedic Association from 1972 to 1977, and received an Honorary Fellowship in 1985. He became editor of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery refers to two distinct journals of the same name: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, American Volume and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British Volume...
in 1984. He was subsequently awarded the Honorary Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons. He died in 1996.