Knee Replacement Pioneer Dies at 82

Frank Gunston, MD of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada passed away on February 16, 2016. He is credited with inventing the first artificial knee in 1963. Dr. Gunston worked as an associate of Sir John Charnley, MD through a traveling hip arthroplasty fellowship at Wrightington in Lancashire, England. He became interested in arthritis of the knee after observing hip patients also having pain in their knees. According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Dr. Gunston developed a knee replacement by combining “plastic and metallic elements in a set of tracks, attached to the top of the tibia with matching set of metal inserts fastened to the femur, allowing the joint to work together by moving along a runner.” He was not interested in patenting his work, but instead made it available to everyone. Full story.