Robert Bruce Salter

Robert Bruce Salter, CC, OOnt, FRSC, orthopedic surgeon, university professor (born 15 December 1924 in Stratford, ON; died 10 May 2010 in Toronto, ON). One of the most respected and best-known orthopedic surgeons in the world, Salter lectured in more than 30 countries and was recognized for innovative methods of orthopedic treatment, including the Salter operation for children and young adults with abnormal hip joints.

Embed from Getty Images

Robert Bruce Salter
Robert Bruce Salter, orthopedic surgeon, 4 October 1995.
(photo by Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Career

Appointed to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto in 1955, Robert Bruce Salter became chief of orthopedic surgery in 1957 and surgeon in chief in 1966. In 1976, he was appointed head of orthopedics at the University of Toronto. In the late 1970s he originated the revolutionary concept of continuous passive motion (CPM) of joints to stimulate the regeneration of cartilage. Following his retirement, he was senior orthopedic surgeon emeritus and senior scientist emeritus at the Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children.

Publications

Robert Bruce Salter wrote over 150 scientific articles and a textbook on the musculoskeletal system, Disorders and Injuries of the Musculoskeletal System (1970).

Honours and Awards

Robert Bruce Salter’s awards and honours included fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (1979) the Nicolas Andry Award (1974) and the Gairdner Foundation International Award for Medical Science (1969) (see Canada Gairdner Awards). In 1998 he was awarded to Order of Ontario. In 1995 he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and in 1997 he became the 32nd recipient of the Canadian Medical Association's F.N.G. Starr Award. In 1977 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1997 a Companion of the Order of Canada.