In Memorium

S. Ward Casscells, M.D.

W rhen S. Ward Casscells, M.D., died at age 80 of leukemia on February 8, 1996, orthopaedic

surgeons lost a valued friend. Those who knew Dr. Casscells well, knew him as a gentle man of relatively few words who had a keen interest in the knee and an extremely conservative approach as an orthopaedic surgeon. Well known as the "Father of American Arthroscopy" and the author of the first paper in En- glish published on the subject of arthroscopy in 1971, Dr. Casscells was one of only a handful of pioneering orthopaedists to understand and appreciate the impact that the arthroscopic technique would ultimately have on improved diagnosis and treatment of intraarticular pathology. In spite of initial criticism, it was this under- standing that led Dr. Casscells to devote the latter half of his career to teaching the principles of this wonder- ful new surgical method called arthroscopy.

As a world traveler, lecturer, and first editor of Arthroscopy, Dr. Casscells was able to combine his prior conservative reputation as a noted knee surgeon with his enthusiasm for the radically new concept of arthroscopy, which resulted in giving arthroscopy early credibility as a respected technique in the surgical ar- mamentarium of orthopaedic surgery. From the time of his early teaching until his death, Dr. Casscells always cautioned against the overuse of arthroscopy. His fa- mous quote, "Seeing is no substitute for thinking" is still applicable today.

A native of New York City, Dr. Casscells attended college and medical school at the University of Vir-

ginia, graduating in 1939. Shortly thereafter, as an army captain in World War II, he served with the 8th Evacuation Hospital as trauma surgeon to General Patton' s forces in Africa and Italy and received 6 battle stars. After the war, he completed his orthopaedic training at the University of Virginia and moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where he practiced from 1949 until 1986.

Dr. Casscells' professional and research interest dealt with the knee. In particular, he was most inter- ested in the structure and function of the menisci and their relationship to the development of osteoarthritis in a torn or untorn state. This interest predated his interest in arthroscopy. In the early 1960s, Dr. Cass- cells became aware of the deleterious effects of open arthrotomy and total meniscectomy, which lead him to publish anatomic and autopsy studies. This also prompted his visit to Dr. Watanabe in Japan where he learned the technique of arthroscopy, and he returned to Wilmington with a prefiberoptic arthroscope. Shortly thereafter, he began using the arthroscope in his clinical practice as a diagnostic tool to confirm the presence or absence of a torn meniscus, thereby avoiding unnecessary arthrotomies and meniscecto- mies.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Casscells published numerous articles and participated as a faculty member at almost every major medical meeting that dealt with the subject of arthroscopic surgery. He became the founding editor of Arthroscopy in 1984 and guided the

Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 12, No 2 (April), 1996: pp 137-138 137

138 C. D. MORGAN

Journal's growth until 1991. Between 1970 and 1991, he received personal commendations for his work in arthroscopy and sports medicine from the last four Republican presidents. Dr. Casscells was a founding member of the International Arthroscopy Association, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, and the International Knee Society. In addition, he was a distinguished member of the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Orthopae- dic Surgeons, and the Eastern Orthopaedic Associa- tion. In 1991, his career was further honored by the

establishment of a chaired professorship in his name in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at his beloved University of Virginia.

Dr. Casscells is survived by his wife of 47 years, Oleda, and his children S. Ward Casscells III, M.D., Christopher D. Casscells, M.D., R.E., Anne Casscells, and Margaret Casscells-Hamby, as well as 7 grandchil- dren and a sister, Elise Casscells Palma.

Craig D. Morgan, M.D. Wilmington, Delaware