Masaki Watanabe (渡辺正毅, 1911 – 15 October 1995) was a Japanese

orthopedic surgeon 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 ...

, sometimes called the "founder of modern

arthroscopy Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the jo ...

". Watanabe developed the first practical arthroscope. Watanabe was born in

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

and graduated from

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1937. He studied surgery under Professor

Kenji Takagi Professor Kenji Takagi (1888–1963) was a Japanese orthopedic surgery, orthopedic surgeon, noted for being one of the first people to carry out a successful arthroscopy of the knee. Takagi was attached to Tokyo University (where he succeed ...

, who, towards the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, had been one of the first surgeons to attempt to insert an endoscopic device into a patient. After

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 opposin ...

, Watanabe became director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Tokyo Teishin Hospital, where he developed early arthroscopes during the 1950s, and, in 1958, he introduced the Watanabe no 21 arthroscope, which was equipped with a superior handmade lens. When top Canadian orthopedic surgeon Robert W. Jackson visited Tokyo with the Canadian Olympic team in 1964, he came into contact with Watanabe, and this was the catalyst for the introduction of modern arthroscopic techniques into North America. In 1972, along with a group of other surgeons, Watanabe was involved in founding the International Arthroscopy Association.The Beginning of the International Arthroscopy Association – IAA
In 1983, he was the recipient of the

Asahi Prize The , established in 1929, is an award presented by the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun'' and Asahi Shimbun Foundation to honor individuals and groups that have made outstanding accomplishments in the fields of arts and academics and have greatl ...

References

1911 births 1995 deaths Japanese orthopedic surgeons 20th-century surgeons {{japan-med-bio-stub