[Sir John Charnley and total hip arthroplasty].

Sir John Charnley (1911-1982), pioneer of the total hip prosthesis, saved countless elderly people from immobility. During the Second World War he assisted Dudley Buxton, orthopaedic surgeon to the British armed forces in the Middle East, in developing new instruments and splints. After the war he first studied healing of bone fractures and the role of compression, and then completely dedicated himself to arthroplasty of the hip. Through countless experiments he found the optimal diameter for the head of the stainless steel prosthesis as well as the optimal polymer for the socket; he also advocated tight cementing of the shaft into the femur. Sir John Charnley received the Lasker Award in 1974 and was knighted in 1977.