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Antonius Mathijsen (November 4, 1805 – June 15, 1878) was a Dutch army surgeon who first used
(in Dutch) Until then a Belgian method was used with starch that took up to a day to dry and harden. Across the street he watched workers repairing cracks in the church with strips ofNieuwe wijze van aanwending van het gips-verband bij beenbreuken: eene bijdrage tot de militaire chirurgie
Volume 1, by Anthonius Matijsen, published by J.B. van Loghem Jr., 1852 In 1853 his idea was praised by a research panel for its value to the military, "especially on the battlefield". Haarlemmers remembered him as "Uncle Plaster" or "Oom Gips".
File:Haarlem Hoofdwacht 001.JPG, The military hospital was located in Hoofdwacht, Haarlem across from the church
File:YOUNG MAN WITH HIS LEG IN A CAST IN HILAND PARK OF BROOKLYN NEW YORK CITY. THE INNER CITY TODAY IS AN ABSOLUTE... - NARA - 555914.jpg, Young man in full leg plaster cast in 1974
He retired from the army in 1868 as first medical officer first class (Lieutenant Colonel).
Antonius Mathijsen (November 4, 1805 – June 15, 1878) was a Dutch army surgeon who first used plaster of Paris
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "r ...
to fixate broken bones in a plaster cast.
Biography
Early life and education
Antonius Mathijsen was born November 4, 1805, to a village physician inBudel
Budel is a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Cranendonck, 25 km outside Eindhoven. Kempen Airport is located near Budel.
History
It was first mentioned in 779 as in Budilio, and means "pl ...
, a Dutch town on the Belgian border. He was educated at hospitals in Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
, Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and the army medical school in Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...
.
Career
He received his commission as medical officer 3d class in theRoyal Netherlands Army
The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dut ...
in 1828. In 1838 he participated in the 10-day war of Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
...
.
While working in Haarlem at the military hospital in 1851, Mathijsen first used plaster of Paris as a bandage.Uncle Plaster and the invention of the Orthopedic plaster cast(in Dutch) Until then a Belgian method was used with starch that took up to a day to dry and harden. Across the street he watched workers repairing cracks in the church with strips of
jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
dunked in plaster of Paris. He reasoned that a jute bandage soaked in water and plaster of Paris applied in the same way as the Belgian method would harden within a few minutes and thus made a better fixation for broken bones. After testing his idea on chickens he published his findings in a Dutch medical magazine ''Repertorium'' in February 1852.Volume 1, by Anthonius Matijsen, published by J.B. van Loghem Jr., 1852
Death
Mathijsen died June 15, 1878, aged 72, inHamont
Hamont-Achel (; li, Haëmet-Achel) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. It was founded in 1977 by a fusion of the city Hamont and the village Achel. On January 1, 2020, Hamont-Achel had a total population of 1 ...
.
Memorials
Memorial monuments are located in both Budel and Hamont. The last Dutch army hospital in Utrecht was named after Dr Mathijsen until the army hospital merged with the navy hospital in the early 1990s.Decorations and awards
* Metalen kruis (metal cross) *Order of the Oak Crown
The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
History
The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand ...
References
* http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Enz-Ho/Fractures-Treatments-and-Devices.html * http://www.thuisinbrabant.nl/biografieen.asp?ccidentifier=657&ccSortorder=title * https://web.archive.org/web/20090616092703/http://www.antoniusmathijsen.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathijsen, Antonius 1805 births 1878 deaths Dutch orthopedic surgeons People from Cranendonck 19th-century Dutch physicians History of Haarlem