Marius Nygaard Smith-Petersen
Encyclopedia
Marius Nygaard Smith-Petersen ( November 14, 1886 – May 1953) was Norwegian-born American
physician and orthopaedic surgeon.
, in Aust-Agder
county, southwest of Oslo, Norway. He emigrated with his mother to Milwaukee in 1903, at age 16. He attended the University of Chicago
and University of Wisconsin, receiving a B.S. from Wisconsin in 1910. At the Medical School of the University of Wisconsin,, he worked as a laboratory assistant to physiologist, Dr. Joseph Erlanger
. Smith-Petersen graduated from Harvard Medical School
in 1914 and served a surgical internship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital under Harvey Williams Cushing, M.D.
.
. in 1925, Smith-Petersen introduced the three-flanged steel nail for insertion across the fracture
site in hip fractures, an innovation that considerably improved recovery and mortality rates from hip fractures.
In May 1953 he performed successful surgery on entertainer Arthur Godfrey
, who had been in pain for over 20 years after an auto accident. Smith-Petersen died just days after his surgery on Godfrey.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician and orthopaedic surgeon.
Background
Marius Nygaard Smith-Petersen was born of a merchant marine family in the coastal town of GrimstadGrimstad
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Other notable places in Grimstad include Eide, Fevik, Fjære, Landvik, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal, and Roresanden.It is...
, in Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
county, southwest of Oslo, Norway. He emigrated with his mother to Milwaukee in 1903, at age 16. He attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and University of Wisconsin, receiving a B.S. from Wisconsin in 1910. At the Medical School of the University of Wisconsin,, he worked as a laboratory assistant to physiologist, Dr. Joseph Erlanger
Joseph Erlanger
Joseph Erlanger was an American physiologist.Erlanger was born on January 5, 1874, at San Francisco, California. He completed his B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and completed his M.D. in 1899 from the Johns Hopkins University...
. Smith-Petersen graduated from Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in 1914 and served a surgical internship at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital under Harvey Williams Cushing, M.D.
Harvey Cushing
Harvey Williams Cushing, M.D. , was an American neurosurgeon and a pioneer of brain surgery, and the first to describe Cushing's syndrome...
.
Career
From 1923 until his death in 1953 he carried on an active orthopedic surgery practice while successively serving as Instructor, Assistant Clinical Professor, and Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard. In 1929 he was appointed Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Massachusetts General HospitalMassachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
. in 1925, Smith-Petersen introduced the three-flanged steel nail for insertion across the fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
site in hip fractures, an innovation that considerably improved recovery and mortality rates from hip fractures.
In May 1953 he performed successful surgery on entertainer Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, who had been in pain for over 20 years after an auto accident. Smith-Petersen died just days after his surgery on Godfrey.