Hermenegildo Arruga

Hermenegildo Arruga i Liró (March 15, 1886 - May 17, 1972) was a Spanish ophthalmologist known for refining several eye surgeries. He devised one of the early procedures to address retinal detachment, and he received the Gonin Medal from the International Council of Ophthalmology in 1950.

Biography

Arruga was the second of three generations of eye surgeons. He and his father, ophthalmologist Eduardo Arruga, had both been born in Barcelona. He entered medical studies at 16 and graduated in 1908, leaving Spain for a while for further study in France and Germany. His mentors included Edmund Landolt, Julius Hirschberg and Félix de Lapersonne. He returned to Barcelona, spending the rest of his life seeing patients there, with the exception of a move to South America during the Spanish Civil War. Arruga lived right above his clinic in Barcelona, where patients and physicians from all over the world came to see him.[1]

One of the first surgeons to promote intracapsular cataract extraction, Arruga also suggested technical improvements to several other eye surgeries.[2] Arruga introduced a procedure for treating retinal detachment that became known as Arruga's suture. In this surgery, a band was made around the sclera using Supramid, a synthetic suture material, but the technique caused some problems with scleral erosion. Even after the procedure could be performed with silicone bands, there were still problems with ischemia of the anterior segment of the eye, and the procedure was replaced by newer techniques.[3]

Arruga was close friends with Jules Gonin, the Swiss ophthalmologist who devised the first retinal detachment repair surgery. Arruga wrote two influential books, Retinal Detachment (1936) and Ocular Surgery (1946); for the latter, his son, ophthalmologist Alfredo Arruga-Forgas, wrote a chapter of the third English edition (1962).[1]

In 1950, Arruga won the Gonin Medal.[4] He was recognized with the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 1956.[5] He received honorary doctorates from the University of Barcelona and Heidelberg University.[6][7] Arruga was named an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He was also made a count by the Spanish government.[8]

Arruga enjoyed chess and was a skilled artist. He engaged in mountain climbing, reaching the summit of the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps when he was 70 years old.[1] He died of heart disease in 1972.[9] He was preceded in death by his wife, Teresa Forgas, the mother of his four children. She died following an automobile accident.[1]

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References
  1. "Obituary. Hermenegildo Arruga, 1886-1972" (PDF). British Journal of Ophthalmology. 56 (6): 509–510. 1972. doi:10.1136/bjo.56.6.509. PMC 1208831. PMID 4560631. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  2. Ascaso, Francisco J.; Grzybowski, Andrzej (December 2014). "Hermenegildo Arruga (1886-1972): A versatile ophthalmologist who simplified cerclage to retinal surgery". Acta Ophthalmologica. 92 (8): 814–817. doi:10.1111/aos.12345. PMID 24460641. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  3. Goes, Frank Joseph (2013). The Eye in History. JP Medical Ltd. p. 454. ISBN 978-93-5090-274-5.
  4. "Hermenegildo Arruga". JAMA Ophthalmology. 125 (6): 788. June 1, 2007. doi:10.1001/archopht.125.6.788.
  5. "Concesión de condecoraciones". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). April 1, 1956. p. 11. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  6. "Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). March 13, 1970. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  7. «El conde de Arruga, doctor "honoris causa" por Heidelberg». La Vanguardia (in Spanish). September 5, 1957, p. 12. ISSN 1133-4835. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  8. "Institute of Ophthalmology". British Journal of Ophthalmology. 34 (8): 516. 1950. doi:10.1136/bjo.34.8.516. PMC 1323622. PMID 18170553.
  9. Guardiola, E (2004). "Hermenegild Arruga i Liró. Les operacions d'Arruga i altres epònims". Quaderns de la Fundació Dr. Antoni Esteve (in Catalan). 1 (1): 3–8. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
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