In 1944 he was sent to a rural hospital in Siberia, where he worked as a general practitioner. In 1946 he organised a workshop for the development of medical instruments, in order to treat the injured soldiers returning from the war. It was during this time that he began working on his earliest prototypes of what would become the Ilizarov External Fixator (a metal framework consisting of rings, threaded rods and pins).

Ilizarov discovered that by carefully severing a bone without severing the periosteum, it was possible to separate the two halves and then fix them back in place using his apparatus. His framework was put in place with pins through the bone, and worked by separating the bone by a small amount over a period of time. As the framework was adjusted the bone would then re-grow to fill the gap, resulting in the lengthening of the limb.

Despite his successes, his method was not widely accepted in the Soviet Union until he successfully treated Valery Brumel (the Soviet Olympic Gold Medallist High Jumper in the 1964 games), who had a non-union and shortening of the lower extremity. Following acceptance in the USSR the method was introduced to the rest of the world, and is still used today.

The Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics is now the leading hospital in the world that uses his apparatus to lengthen or reshape bones. Every year over 9000 people from all countries and age groups receive treatment.

Ilizarov died in 1992, at the age of 71. His accomplishments were extraordinary considering where he lived and worked. He developed a whole new field of biology and clinical orthopaedics, and his methods have helped innumerable patients around the world.

During World Wars I and II, whilst the men of Sheffield fought for their country, thousands of women were conscripted into the steel factories of Sheffield. The women, often in their twenties, left behind their normal lives of running homes and raising children in order to contribute to the war effort and keep the factories running.

In the noisy, challenging and often dangerous surroundings the young women worked tirelessly under the threat of air raids to ensure the iconic steel factories of Sheffield carried on running smoothly, churning out world class artillery and armour to keep up with the demand.

By the end of the war, instead of being celebrated and congratulated, the women were simply dismissed from the factories as the men returned from war to work. The Women of Steel returned back to their normal lives of running homes and raising children and for years their outstanding effort went unrecognised.

The people of Sheffield now want to celebrate this special group of women by raising money in aid of a new statue in their honour.

Martin Jennings has been commissioned to design and craft the sculpture. His most celebrated piece is the statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras station which is now recognised as an iconic London landmark. Jennings said, “I want the statue to represent both the camaraderie that helped these young women triumph over the exceptionally difficult task allotted to them and the pride they felt in achieving expertise in an industry that was traditionally the preserve of men. I have modelled a welder and a riveter to stand for the many roles required of them. They are jauntily marching along arm in arm with their heads held high. At the end of the war the women were dismissed from their work in the steel industry with little thanks. Now, by erecting this statue within the lifetimes of the surviving Women of Steel, we all have an opportunity belatedly to record our gratitude. There are countless war memorials to men. My hope is that this statue will help us never to forget these women, without whose courageous endeavours victory in two world wars would have been very far from assured”.

The statue will be unveiled in Barkers Pool, the heart of the city centre and where the infamous Blitz struck Sheffield in World War II. The statue will be bronze in colour and human scale, celebrating the work and lives of Sheffield’s Women of Steel.

If you would like to contribute you can donate by visiting the Just Giving page.

Events are being hosted in homes, workplaces and communities in an effort to raise much needed funds for a new In Patient Unit. This facility is urgently needed to provide the best possible specialist care for Sheffield people who have life limiting illnesses.

Many thousands of lives have been touched by St Luke’s. People who are patients themselves, or have a friend or relative who has been cared for at St Luke’s know at first hand the value of what this charity does.

St Luke’s helps people with illnesses such as Cancer, Motor Neurone Disease, HIV and end stage heart, lung and kidney conditions. Sometimes patients are admitted to the hospice for a short time and are discharged home once their symptoms are under control, thanks to the expert care they receive.

Around 600 unpaid volunteers help 170 staff deliver these services. Every year St Luke’s helps 1400 patients, plus their families and carers – about 5000 people all told.

In 2013-14 St Luke’s will need to raise more than £4.5 million of the £7.5 million it costs to keep running. Government funding via the NHS Sheffield Primary Care Trust covers a declining proportion of the operating costs – currently 31%. It costs £850 per hour to run the hospice, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If this income was to cease then St Luke’s could only continue for six months.

To help a worthy cause, why not take part in “The Great Pie and Peas Up”.

To find out more please visit www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/pieandpeasup

Sheffield is famous around the world for its contributions to the steel industry, and now celebrates by hosting a series of events to mark the anniversary.

Exhibitions and events confirmed as part of the 100 Years of Stainless Steel programme so far include:

• Designed to Shine exhibition, the Millennium Gallery, 16 Februray-13 October 2013
• Rustless- The Harry Brearley Story, Kelham Island Museum, 1 April-17 November 2013
• Cutlers Hall Open Day 23 March 2013
• BSSA & SMEA Conference and Exhibition, Sheffield University, 11-13 June 2013
• David Mellor Exhibition, Sheffield Hallam University, date TBC
• Women of Steel Concert, Sheffield City Hall, November 2013
• Industry visits and tours, dates TBC

After unveiling the plans, Master Cutler Neil MacDonald said these events would cover, not just Harry Brearley’s discovery, but also the entrepreneurial spirit which saw him realise its huge potential.

“It’s a chance to blow our own trumpet and tell everyone about it,” said Neil.

Many projects and initiatives are still being developed as part of the year long celebrations, and will be announced throughout 2013.

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 had waited for the transplant, before finally learning that two donor arms had become available on December 16th – less than two months after his Staten Island home, which had been specially converted to accommodate his disability, was badly flooded during Hurricane Sandy.

His transplants, which took place on December 18th, involved the connection of bones, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, nerves and skin on both arms. He also received bone marrow from the deceased donor of his arms; a therapy intended to help his body accept the new limbs with minimal medication.

While the early signs are positive – he wrote on Twitter after the surgery that his new limbs “already move a little” – doctors say it could be some time before the full functionality of his arms will be known.

His surgeon says it will take more than a year to know how fully Mr Marrocco will be able to use the new arms.
“The maximum speed is an inch a month for nerve regeneration,” Dr W P Andrew Lee, who led the 13-hour surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, told a news conference.

It is, however, hoped that his new arms will allow him to support himself on prosthetic legs and walk unaided for the first time since he was wounded. Other patients who have undergone similar transplants have ultimately been able to tie their shoelaces and use chopsticks, doctors said.

Mr Marrocco spoke for the first time about the procedure, saying that he felt like himself again. He said, “I hated not having arms,” he said. “Not having arms takes so much away from you. You talk with your hands, you do so much with your hands. When you don’t have that, you’re kind of lost for a while. I just want to get to the point where I can be completely on my own and just get back to enjoying life,” he added.

The Nascar enthusiast was asked what he was most looking forward to doing with his new limbs.

“Driving,” he replied immediately. “Absolutely, driving. I used to love to drive. It was a lot of fun for me so I am really looking forward to getting back to that.”

He added that he wanted to “become an athlete again” telling reporters that he was a keen soccer player in his youth. He said: “Obviously I will not be playing that again. Right now I’m going to focus on hand cycling.

While Mr Marrocco’s surgery carried inevitable risks, he said that he had never wavered in his desire to go through with the operation. “I have overcome so much in the past four years and really the worst case scenario was…I go back to the way I was.”

Inevitably Mr Marrocco’s story will give hope to other war veterans who lose limbs in battle

Asked if he had a message for those in a similar position, he said: “Not to give up hope,” before adding: “I still thought of myself as being normal. I hated the word handicapped. I never really looked at it like that and now I’m just looking forward to doing everything I was doing four years ago.”

England and the NHS is facing the biggest baby boom in 40 years, just as cutbacks in maternity budgets hit our hospitals. More than a quarter of UK Heads of Midwifery reported that their budget has been cut in the last 12 months, and the Royal College of Midwives has warned that this is putting NHS Maternity Services under enormous pressure.

New figures suggest that more than 700000 babies will be born in England this year, the first time such a level has been reached since 1971. Birth rates have been rising for the last decade, principally due to immigration, with the number growing by 12000 per year.

According to the Office for National Statistics there were 688120 births in England in 2011; however the baby boom is reaching record levels in 2012. Executives at the Royal College of Midwives have said that today’s midwives have never seen anything like it, and go on to say that NHS Maternity Services are on a knife edge.

The demand being placed on the NHS is huge, and the lack of midwives is now becoming apparent. The Royal College of Midwives has expressed their concerns that 89% of midwives feel that they are not able to give women all the care and support they need. They have carried shortages for years; however with the number of births increasing they are now at the limit of what they can safely deliver. Student midwife numbers are still being cut, and newly qualified midwives are unable to find jobs. Despite the Government’s promise that another 3000 midwives would be provided, only 900 have been employed. One third of new midwives are still currently unemployed. The Royal College of Midwives is understandably frustrated that the midwives are being trained but not recruited, saying it is a sad waste of time and effort, as well as taxpayer’s money too. They also argue that another 5000 midwives are needed to keep up with the rising birth rate.

In response, a spokesman for the Department of Health has said that they are working closely with the Royal College of Midwives to ensure that the supply of midwives matches the current birth rates. Also the Minister for Health has recently announced that an extra £25 million would be released if “there is evidence that women have been asked about the changes they want in local areas”. He has since written to all NHS Trusts, urging them to take advantage of the money which has been made available, particularly to improve maternity facilities to support parents when things don’t go to plan.

The Royal College of Midwives said that the cash was “a welcome and positive step”, but a small one in the context of the £2.5 billion maternity budget.

It is the culmination of the Government’s Make it in Great Britain campaign which is run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The campaign and exhibition aims to show young people the rewarding career opportunities available in British Manufacturing, dispelling the myth that the UK ‘doesn’t make anything anymore’. The exhibition features businesses of all sizes, including iconic brands like McLaren, Mars and Rolls Royce, as well as displays from up and coming inventors.

Manufacturing is a vital part of the UK’s economy, employing 2.5 million people and generating £137bn each year. The government is running campaigns like this in order to attract the new talent which is needed to support the industry in the long term. An essential strategy, as jobs would almost certainly be moved abroad in the future if we cannot provide a skilled workforce.

The good news for British Manufacturing is that 40% of companies are now bringing production back in-house. A report published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation cites reasons such as recession and natural disasters to be amongst some of the influences behind these decisions.

This gives Britain a real window of opportunity to build the manufacturing industry back up, which would aid in generating some of the sustainable growth needed to pull us out of the recession. The manufacturers surveyed had already reported seeing benefits that included reduced costs and improved flexibility.

If we can encourage our young people to consider careers in manufacturing, attend college courses or look at the various apprenticeships on offer then Great Britain could flourish in this difficult economic climate.

For more information, please visit http://makeitingreatbritain.bis.gov.uk

It paid homage to the National Health Service, which was featured as one of Britain’s proudest achievements during the £27m extravaganza. More than 600 real life nurses were amongst the 10,000 people who had volunteered to take part. Boyle said that the volunteers who came from the NHS were “proud people” that “work for something that they truly, truly believe in.” He added, “One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn’t matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated…it is an amazing thing to celebrate.”

During this amazing scene the children were tucked up in bed, spelling out the words ‘NHS’ and ‘GOSH’ (Great Ormond Street Hospital). The 300 luminous beds contained special LED bedding, batteries and wiring, which will now be removed by a team of fifteen volunteers over the course of three days. This will transform them from imaginative showpieces into fully functioning hospital beds which can be used to treat patients.

These ‘NHS Hospital Beds’ will be donated to charity, where patients in the Tunisian Hospital Habis Burguiba De Medenine and Hospital de Taouine will receive the vital care they need.

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 a chemical into the female’s reproductive organs. These procedures were carried out in a brutal fashion and often caused complications in the form of peritonitis and haemorrhage, which lead to high fever and general sepsis. Hundreds died due to the procedures performed whilst they were being held prisoner, others were killed in order to carry out autopsies.

Upon fleeing Auschwitz and escaping the Red Army in January 1945, Clauberg moved to the notorious Ravensbrueck women’s concentration camp near Berlin, where he continued his experiments. He was taken prisoner by the Russians later that year and was sentenced to twenty-five years imprisonment. Seven years later he was pardoned and returned to Germany, but after survivor groups protested he was rearrested in 1955. He died in 1957, shortly before his trial would have started.

Although the term Lifetime Guarantee may offer a certain amount of peace of mind, there are usually limitations as to what is actually covered. In the case of surgical instruments this kind of warranty only covers any manufacturing defects; typically faulty materials or workmanship (it would not cover fair wear and tear or misuse). You would have to consider that surely any manufacturing defects of this nature would be detected during the first twelve months of use anyway, possibly even after the first decontamination and sterilisation cycle? Therefore, these problems would also be covered by any reputable manufacturer as part of their standard guarantee, be that twelve months or five years. Is there really any value in offering a Lifetime Guarantee or is it just a marketing gimmick?

The term ‘lifetime’ is quite ambiguous, as this period cannot be clearly defined. The life of a reusable surgical instrument is difficult to establish, as the quality of the products on offer vary so much. The quality of the instrument in the first place is the determining factor as to how long it will last. The materials which are used and the skills of the manufacturers and their processes have an enormous impact on the quality of the finished product. As does the frequency and nature of use, and how they are maintained once they are in operation. All these contributory factors mean that as a manufacturer it is difficult to answer the question as to what the lifetime of a product actually is.

At Platts & Nisbett we are passionate about quality. In fact we are so proud of our workmanship we guarantee it for Five Years. In addition to this we offer a Free Lifetime Sharpening service on many of our orthopaedic instruments – that is how confident we are. We stand by the quality of our surgical instruments and our guarantee is clear.

However, there is nothing to stop a company refusing to replace a faulty instrument that has a lifetime guarantee if they tell you it has exceeded its lifetime. As mentioned before, it is so difficult to ascertain what its lifetime is. If a consumer is misled into buying a substandard surgical instrument purely because it comes with a lifetime guarantee then surely this is wrong? It is however not illegal, but maybe unethical? In the long term it is false economy to buy equipment that may continually fail and then have to be replaced at your expense. When thinking about how to spend your ever decreasing budgets, please consider what kind of warranty you are actually being offered and the quality of product and service that comes with it. When something seems too good to be true it usually is!