Josep Trueta i Raspall (27 October 1897 – 19 January 1977) was a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

surgeon and researcher.

Biography

As a

Catalan nationalist Catalan nationalism is the ideology asserting that the Catalans are a distinct nation. Intellectually, modern Catalan nationalism can be said to have commenced as a political philosophy in the unsuccessful attempts to establish a federal state i ...

, he fled into exile to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

, during which he had been the chief of trauma services for the main hospital in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. In 1939 a booklet of his, first published in Catalan, was published in English as ''Treatment of War Wounds and Fractures, with special reference to the Closed Method as used in the war in Spain'', in London. His work was noted and accepted by the British

RAMC The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, thus influencing British Army medical practice.Watts, Lt Col J. C. ''Surgeon at War'' London 1955 p.18 During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he helped to organize medical emergency services. His use of a new plaster cast method for the treatment of open wounds and fractures helped save a great number of lives and still more limbs, during several wars. Trueta formed part of a group of Catalans exiled in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

who denounced the situation of Catalonia in

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

. He wrote ''The Spirit of Catalonia'', a book aimed at explaining Catalan history to English-speaking society. He joined the team run by Florey and Chain that developed penicillin in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and held the first live animal to be injected with the groundbreaking antibiotic. From 1949 to 1966 he was the third Nuffield Professor of

Orthopaedic Surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and directed the

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC) is an internationally renowned orthopaedic hospital, with strong affiliations to the University of Oxford. It provides routine and specialist orthopaedic surgery, plastic surgery and rheumatology services t ...

(previously the Wingfield-Morris Hospital). On his retirement in 1966, he returned to

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

with his wife Amèlia. Both were buried (in 1977 and 1975 respectively) in Santa Cristina d'Aro. The main hospital of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capital ...

Josep Trueta University Hospital The Josep Trueta University Hospital (Catalan: ''Hospital Universitari de Girona Doctor Josep Trueta'', Spanish: ''Hospital Universitario Doctor Josep Trueta'') is a public hospital in the city of Girona in Catalonia. It was opened on 13 April 1 ...

, was named after him, as are streets in many towns across

. Every year the government of

awards Trueta medals and plaques to professionals and institutions that excel in the Catalan medical field. Trueta_monument_devant

References

* *

External links

The Spirit of Catalonia. Josep Trueta. 1946 - Digital edition JosepTrueta.com Personal papers and books of Josep Trueta are kept in the Biblioteca de Catalunya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trueta i Raspall, Josep 1897 births 1977 deaths Scientists from Catalonia Physicians from Catalonia Members of the Institute for Catalan Studies Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford Spanish exiles Spanish expatriates in the United Kingdom