I am proud to present this 30th anniversary issue of the Square Knot. I have been asked how the name Square Knot arose. Dr. Jonathan Meakins, started the Square Knot 30 years ago when he became Chair of the Department of surgery. He introduced several new measures, some symbolic and others more substantive, to indicate a unified department of surgery. One was his design of a new tie and scarf, pictured at the back of this issue with McGill and surgical symbols. One of these was the square knot that every surgical student and resident learned to tie with alacrity and accuracy. It does not slip and is simple to undo. It is also known as a reef knot and according to Wikipedia is at least 4000 years old and was first used by sailors to reef sails. Hence, our name The Square Knot.
We have moved from its humble beginnings to this professionally produced edition. This could not have happened without team work and I am grateful for the expertise of Ekaterina (Katia) Lebedeva and Ildico Horvath, who have brought the latest technology in a seamless way to our readers of today. I wish to express, as well, my gratitude to Michael Leitman, who on a voluntary basis has proofread all the text for the past six years. It his dedicated efforts that have contributed greatly to the professional appearance of the publication.
When Dr. Fried asked me to take on the Editorship of the Square Knot, he did not know that he had struck a chord that had been my first love. As an undergraduate, I had worked on the McGill Daily, edited the McGill Handbook and as a senior, had edited than 1953 McGill Yearbook. I had toyed with the thought of a career in Journalism and not Medicine. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this venture with a wonderful team.
Katia spontaneously, has archived all the publications since the first one 30 years ago. They are readily accessible online. I recommend referring to these old Square Knots because they provide us with a history over the past 30 years, of our successes and challenges, as well as the profiles of the wonderful talent we have been able to attract, that have resulted in the great department we have today.
Antedating the initial issue of the Square Knot, I had an earlier 30th anniversary in that I was an R1 in the McGill surgical residency program in 1958-59. I can recall my first day on the General Surgery service at the MGH. The senior resident informed me that I was the one who would put hip fractures into traction and that I had to learn to do this quickly because he did not wish to be awakened at night. I was introduced to the orderly who brought a box full of rope, pulleys and weights. I was taught how to drill a wire through the tibial tubercle and then spent the next 2 hours learning how to put the ropes and pulleys together. In those days, almost all fractures were handled by General Surgery at the MGH. The orthopedic surgeons only did ”cold” reconstructive surgery. The orthopedic team was allowed to admit fractures one day a week in order to silence their complaints.
I now began to realize how the MGH trauma service had its origins. One day I asked the ambulance driver why, the patient lying on a stretcher with a broken hip, who had fallen at the entrance of the old RVH, was brought to the MGH Emergency Department. He replied “I never bring patients to the Vic. The parking area is too small, and it takes too long to turn an ambulance around. I only bring patients here.” An anecdote but true.
I am delighted to share this column with my dear friend and colleague, Ed Monaghan. He and I were co- residents through the residency program and therefore always worked in different hospitals and never at the same time. We each spent our fourth year in London, he at the London Hospital, and, I at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith (now part of the Imperial Medical College) before returning to Montreal, as Chief Residents. We remained close over all the years. He was a great educator, at McGill and nationally. He is an important part of the history of the Square Knot.
Harvey H. Sigman, MD, FRCSC, Editor
Emeritus Professor of Surgery, McGill University