Maurice Edmond Müller
Encyclopedia
Maurice Edmond Müller was a Swiss
orthopedic surgeon
who was instrumental in the development of internal fixation techniques to treat bone fracture
s and who also significantly advanced the development of the hip prostheses
. For his work in these areas he has been honored with numerous awards. On August 24, 2002, the International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT) named him the "Orthopedic Surgeon of the Century" at a congress in San Diego.
Müller was also the patron who founded the Zentrum Paul Klee
in Berne
, Switzerland.
at the universities of Neuchâtel, Berne
, and Lausanne
and received his M.D.
from the University of Zürich
in 1946. In 1944, he was visited by a patient who had had a bone fracture treated in World War II by the German surgeon Gerhard Küntscher
, who had fixed the fracture using an implanted nail. This and another visit by a patient who had a hip implant made in Paris determined Müller to specialize in this area.
in Ethiopia
, in Liestal
, in Fribourg
, and in Zürich
, Müller habilitated
in orthopedic surgery in 1957. From 1960 on he led the department of ortopedics and traumatology at the hospital of St. Gallen
. From 1963 to 1980 he was professor at the University of Berne and head of orthopedic surgery at the Inselspital
in Berne.
In 1958, Müller co-founded the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen
. Inspired by the work of Belgian surgeon Robert Danis, Müller developed within two years new tools and fixation implants for orthopedic surgery, marketed by two Swiss companies and from the mid-1970 on also by Synthes USA
. Since 2004, all three companies are part of the Synthes Holding AG.
In 1967, Müller founded another company, Protek AG, to market his hip prostheses, which he had developed in the early 1960s, inspired by the work of John Charnley
. From 1974 on, profits went to the Maurice E. Müller foundation, the first of several foundations Müller founded to advance the education and research in orthopedic surgery. In 1990, the company was sold to Sulzer Medica
(which since then has become an independent spin-off from the Sulzer mother company and which later became part of Zimmer, Inc. under the name of Centerpulse).
in Berne
, Switzerland. He developed the initial ideas for the museum, contacted architect Renzo Piano
for its realization, and donated through a foundation formed for this purpose 70 million Swiss franc
s (more than half of the total cost of CHF 125 million) for the construction of the museum.
Müller died on May 10, 2009 in Berne.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
orthopedic surgeon
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
who was instrumental in the development of internal fixation techniques to treat bone fracture
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
s and who also significantly advanced the development of the hip prostheses
Hip replacement
Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe...
. For his work in these areas he has been honored with numerous awards. On August 24, 2002, the International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT) named him the "Orthopedic Surgeon of the Century" at a congress in San Diego.
Müller was also the patron who founded the Zentrum Paul Klee
Zentrum Paul Klee
The Zentrum Paul Klee is a museum dedicated to the artist Paul Klee, located in Bern, Switzerland and designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. It features about 40 percent of Paul Klee’s entire pictorial oeuvre....
in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Switzerland.
Early life and education
Müller was born in Biel, Switzerland, where he also went to school. He studied medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the universities of Neuchâtel, Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, and Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
and received his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from the University of Zürich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
in 1946. In 1944, he was visited by a patient who had had a bone fracture treated in World War II by the German surgeon Gerhard Küntscher
Gerhard Küntscher
Gerhard Küntscher was a German surgeon who inaugurated the intramedullary nailing of long bone fractures, a process that was first performed in November 1939 at the University Department of Surgery in Kiel...
, who had fixed the fracture using an implanted nail. This and another visit by a patient who had a hip implant made in Paris determined Müller to specialize in this area.
Career
After having worked in JimmaJimma
Jimma, also Jima, is the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of . The town was the capital of Kaffa Province until the province was dissolved. Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administratively as a...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, in Liestal
Liestal
Liestal is the capital of the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland, south of Basel.It is an industrial town with a cobbled-street Old Town.-History:...
, in Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
, and in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Müller habilitated
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in orthopedic surgery in 1957. From 1960 on he led the department of ortopedics and traumatology at the hospital of St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
. From 1963 to 1980 he was professor at the University of Berne and head of orthopedic surgery at the Inselspital
Inselspital
The Inselspital , officially the Bern University Hospital, is the university hospital of Berne, Switzerland, and one of the country's leading hospitals....
in Berne.
In 1958, Müller co-founded the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen
Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen
Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen , also AO Foundation, commonly called AO is a non profit organization dedicated to improving the care of patients with musculoskeletal injuries and their sequelae through research, development, education and quality assurance in the principles, practice,...
. Inspired by the work of Belgian surgeon Robert Danis, Müller developed within two years new tools and fixation implants for orthopedic surgery, marketed by two Swiss companies and from the mid-1970 on also by Synthes USA
Synthes
Synthes Holding AG is a multinational medical device manufacturer based in Solothurn, Switzerland and West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the world's largest maker of implants to mend bone fractures, and also produces surgical power tools and advanced biomaterials...
. Since 2004, all three companies are part of the Synthes Holding AG.
In 1967, Müller founded another company, Protek AG, to market his hip prostheses, which he had developed in the early 1960s, inspired by the work of John Charnley
John Charnley
Sir John Charnley was a British orthopaedic surgeon. He pioneered the hip replacement operation, which is now one of the most common operations both in the UK and elsewhere in the world...
. From 1974 on, profits went to the Maurice E. Müller foundation, the first of several foundations Müller founded to advance the education and research in orthopedic surgery. In 1990, the company was sold to Sulzer Medica
Sulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
(which since then has become an independent spin-off from the Sulzer mother company and which later became part of Zimmer, Inc. under the name of Centerpulse).
Zentrum Paul Klee
Müller was also the patron who founded the Zentrum Paul KleeZentrum Paul Klee
The Zentrum Paul Klee is a museum dedicated to the artist Paul Klee, located in Bern, Switzerland and designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. It features about 40 percent of Paul Klee’s entire pictorial oeuvre....
in Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, Switzerland. He developed the initial ideas for the museum, contacted architect Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
for its realization, and donated through a foundation formed for this purpose 70 million Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s (more than half of the total cost of CHF 125 million) for the construction of the museum.
Müller died on May 10, 2009 in Berne.
Works
- Müller, M.E. et al.: Manual of Internal Fixation, AO-ASIF, 1980. ISBN 3540525238 (3rd ed., 1995).
- Müller, M.E. et al.: The Comprehensive Classification of Fractures of Long Bones, Springer 1994. ISBN 3540181652.
External links
- Curriculum vitae.
- Jakob, B.; Moser, M.: Maurice E. Müller ist verstorben, uniaktuell; May 12, 2009. University of Berne.
- Maurice E. Müller Foundation of North America.
- An interview with Maurice E. Müller, covering some details of his prosthetics achievements.
- Ganz, R.: Prof. Maurice E. Müller wird 90 Jahre alt, Inselspital Bern, March 26, 2008. In German.
- Annual statement from 2002 of the Fondation Maurice E. Müller, with an image of the "Orthopedic surgeon of the (20th) Century" award plaque and the text of the laudatio in the annex, on pages 20–21.