The Balkan Frame Revisited: Origins and Misnaming of a Traction Apparatus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The term “Balkan Frame,” also known as the Balkan splint or Balkan traction frame, has long been erroneously attributed to the Balkan War of 1912–1913. In fact, it was devised in 1911 by Vatroslav Florschütz (1879–1967) in Osijek (Croatia) to suspend the lower limb using a sheet attached to a single rigid pole for treating compound femoral fractures. Florschütz presented his method at the First Congress of Yugoslav Surgeons in Belgrade in 1912. In 1915, the original device was modified at the American Hospital in Juilly (France) into a portable overhead apparatus with iron bars, a movable pulley, and later, a wooden trolley. Although this version differed markedly from Florschütz’s design, the term “Balkan Frame” endured. Henry Lyle (1874–1947) later proposed renaming it the Whitney–Juilly Frame in honor of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), the hospital’s founder, while Joseph A. Blake (1864–1937) further improved its suspension. These changes increased portability and patient comfort while preserving its suspension and traction principles. Correcting this misattribution supports historical accuracy and reinforces scholarly rigor in orthopedic knowledge.
Authors: Halil TEKINER, Eileen S. YALE, Steven H. YALE
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $118
OpenAlex ID: W4414354559
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