Sir Harry Platt, 1st Baronet,

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

KStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(7 October 1886 – 20 December 1986) was an English

orthopaedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, president of the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgery, surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wa ...

(1954–1957). He was a founder of the

British Orthopaedic Association The British Orthopaedic Association is a professional association in Britain for doctors who specialize in orthopaedic surgery. History The British Orthopaedic Association was founded in 1918. One of the founders was Harry Platt, who went on t ...

, of which he became president in 1934–1935.

Early life and education

He was born in Thornham, Royton, Lancashire, the son of Ernest Platt, a velvet cutter and later chairman of United Velvet Cutters, Ltd. Harry developed a tuberculous knee as a child and his early education was at home. He entered the

Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...

to study medicine and qualified in 1909 from both Victoria and London Universities. After resident and registrar appointments he demonstrated anatomy at

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

. His orthopaedic training was mainly at the

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) is a specialist orthopaedic hospital located in Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow, run by the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. It provides the most comprehensive range of neuro- ...

in London, and in Boston, USA.

Work

On his return to England in 1914, he was appointed surgeon at

Ancoats Hospital The Ancoats Hospital and Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary (commonly known as Ancoats Hospital) was a large inner-city hospital located in Ancoats, to the north of the city centre of Manchester, England. It was built in 1875, replacing the Ardwick ...

but on the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was appointed to be surgeon-in-charge of a military orthopaedic centre in Manchester as a captain in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

. By 1932, his posts included being senior honorary surgeon and surgeon-in-charge of the orthopaedic service, Ancoats Hospital, as consulting orthopaedic surgeon for

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

and in 1939 he advanced on his earlier status as a clinical lecturer in orthopaedic surgery at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

when he was appointed professor. Platt was a specialist in the congenital dislocation of the hip and peripheral nerve injuries. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was an advisor to the

Emergency Medical Service Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to ...

. Platt was President of the Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique from 1949 to 1954. Platt was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1940, serving there for eighteen years. He was elected vice-president in 1949–1950 and president 1954–1957. He was the first orthopaedic expert to be president. He campaigned for the creation of the International Federation of Surgical Colleges, which was created in 1958.

Reports

Platt Report on The Welfare of Children in Hospital

In 1959, Platt produced the Platt Report on 'The Welfare of Children in Hospital', which encouraged hospitals to permit parents to visit and care for their children in hospital much more than had previously been allowed. This was the result of a three-year enquiry by a committee set up to investigate the welfare of children in hospital, as opposed to their medical needs. Before this time parental visiting was commonly limited to just a couple of hours a week.

Platt Report on the Reform of Nursing Education

In 1964 and 1965 he produced the 'Platt Report(s) on the Reform of Nursing Education'. He had established a committee in 1961 to consider all aspects of nursing education and to make recommendations. He created groups to look at: a) The Place and Functions of the Nurse in the Modern Community, b) Preparation of the Student Nurse for Registration and of the Pupil Nurse for Enrolment: the Organisation of the School of Nursing, c) Preparation for Entry to Nursing. Committee members included Annie Altschul,

Barbara Fawkes Barbara Noel Fawkes (25 December 1914 – 4 October 2002) was a British nurse and nursing educator. She served as Chief Education Officer, General Nursing Council for England and Wales from 1959 to 1974. Biography Fawkes was born in Tonbrid ...

, Catherine Hall (nurse), and Winifred Hector.

Death and legacy

He died in 1986 at

age of 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

. Platt had been much influenced by the work of Robert Jones in

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and by his training in the US. He continued to be inspired by US methods for medical training and organisation. Among those whom he influenced in turn was

John Charnley Sir John Charnley, (29 August 1911 – 5 August 1982) was an English Orthopedic surgery, orthopaedic surgeon. He pioneered the hip replacement operation, which is now one of the most common operations both in the UK and elsewhere in the wo ...

Awards and honours

Platt became a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in 1948. He was invited to deliver the

Bradshaw Lecture The Bradshaw Lectures are lectureships given at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and reg ...

to the Royal College of surgeons in 1950, which he made on the subject of bone

sarcoma A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Originating from mesenchymal cells means that sarcomas are cancers of connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, or vascular tissues. Sarcom ...

s. Platt was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1958, on completing his term as President of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was appointed a Knight of the

Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem Most or Möst may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** Autodrom Most, moto ...

(KStJ) in February 1972.

References

External resources

Harry Platt Papers
at the

University of Manchester Library The University of Manchester Library is the library system and information service of the University of Manchester. The main library is on the Oxford Road campus of the university, with its entrance on Burlington Street. There are also ten other ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Harry 1886 births 1986 deaths People from Royton Alumni of the University of Manchester Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British orthopaedic surgeons Academics of the University of Manchester English men centenarians Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine Knights Bachelor Physicians of the Manchester Royal Infirmary 20th-century English surgeons