An American soldier who lost all four of his limbs has successfully undergone a rare and complicated double arm transplant. Brendan Marrocco, 26, was hit by a roadside bomb in 2009, and was the first soldier to survive quadruple limb loss from the war in Iraq.
While Mr Marrocco is not the first person to undergo a double arm transplant – he is the seventh – surgeons at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where the operation took place, say his was “the most complicated one” so far.
For nearly four years he …

More than 150 surgical instruments belonging to the Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz have been found in a nearby house in Oswiecim. The gynaecological instruments were found in a house that was located inside a strictly closed zone surrounding Auschwitz during the war.
The surgical instruments had probably been used by Carl Clauberg, a gynaecologist and member of the Nazi SS who experimented with methods for the mass sterilisation of women. This method of mass sterilisation was done under the guise of a gynaecological examination, and consisted of the introduction of …

It’s that time of year again, and Companies from all over the world are looking forward to their annual trip to the Medica Trade Fair. At Platts & Nisbett we are busy finalising the last minute details and putting the finishing touches to our busy schedule. The trip itself is an ideal opportunity to catch up with friends, colleagues and distributors both old and new, and also learn about exciting new products and opportunities.
Here are some interesting facts about Medica, the world forum for medicine…
1. The first Medica was …

On the 24th August 79AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted explosively, burying Pompeii under a crust of volcanic ash. For the next seventeen centuries the city would remain lost, forgotten and preserved, sealed in a time capsule. Since excavations began in 1748, Pompeii was gradually revealed – street by street, building by building, room by room, providing an unparalleled record of life in the Roman Empire.
During this time, literary records tell us that the head of the household was often responsible for the physical health of his family, and as such would …

Surgical instruments have evolved over thousands of years, allowing advancements in surgical techniques to save millions of lives. Small copper knives dating back to 3000BC are believed to be some of the first surgical instruments on record.
The ancient Egyptians recorded surgical procedures as early as 2500BC. The earliest written representation of surgery is that found in Egyptian ruins and early papyri. A number of minor procedures are noted, including the practice of circumcision, which is the only surgical procedure referred to in the Bible. Knives with stone blades were used, …