2001 INDUCTEE William Gallie, MD Skin, Bones, Muscles & Joints, Health and Medical Education & Training, Leadership in Organizational Development, Patient Care

Born:

January 29, 1882

(Barrie, Ontario)

Died:

September 25, 1959

Education:

MD, University of Toronto (1903)

Awards & Honours:

1952: Honorary DSc, University of Rochester

1949: Honorary LLD, University of Toronto

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Founded Canada’s first formal residency training program in surgery

A pioneering orthopedic surgeon

Dr. William E. Gallie was a brilliant and innovative general surgeon with a particular expertise in orthopaedics. He devised numerous new methods in surgery, including the transplantation of bone, the implantation of tendons, and skeletal traction in the treatment of fractures and dislocations of the spine. For many years, Dr. Gallie trained surgical residents in the traditional informal way, before establishing the first formal program of post-graduate surgical training in Canada in the 1930s. He was also instrumental in convincing Sam McLaughlin of General Motors of Canada to endow a foundation to support Canadian surgical trainees studying abroad.

Key Facts

Developed a method of tendon fixation to stabilize paralytic feet

Served as the only surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children from 1914 to 1917

The Gallie Course in Surgery was the first of its kind in Canada and was soon widely adopted

Served as President of the American College of Surgeons for an unprecedented six years

Professional timeline

Impact on lives today

Today, post-graduate training in general surgery is known as the “Gallie Course,” ensuring that Gallie’s contribution to surgical training will never be forgotten. Gallie, however, is more than remembered. His legacy is felt. A leader in orthopedic surgery, Gallie’s cervical wiring technique for spine surgery remains one of the three most commonly taught wiring techniques in neurosurgical training programs. More broadly, as a visionary for surgical education, Gallie established a rigorous surgical training program that continues to inform Canadian standards of excellence in surgical curriculum today. In addition, the McLaughlin Foundation remains a significant supporter of Canadian surgical development.

2001

October 11, 2001
William Gallie posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Winnipeg, Manitoba
1951
The R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation was established
Health and Medical Education & Training
This foundation supports advanced post-graduate studies for surgeons in Canadian medical schools.
1931
William Gallie’s post graduate training course in surgery was established
Health and Medical Education & Training
This two-year residency program in surgery exposed students to a year of training in general surgery followed by periods of specialization in urology, neurosurgery or pediatric surgery. It soon spread to all teaching hospitals associated with the University of Toronto.
1929
Appointed Surgeon-in-Chief at Toronto General Hospital and Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto
Leadership in Organizational Development, Health and Medical Education & Training
Excelling in positions of leadership, he became Dean of Medicine in 1936.
1919
After the war, William Gallie returned to Canada and became surgeon in Chief at the Hospital for Sick Children
Skin, Bones, Muscles & Joints, Patient Care
During this period, he continued his research on the use of tissue in surgical repair.
1917
Gallie joined Canada’s war effort

He served in England at the Canadian Special Treatment Hospital and earned the rank of Major (Act.).
1906
Returned to Toronto to join the surgical staff of the Hospital for Sick Children

He was also appointed junior surgeon at the Toronto General Hospital where he worked until 1910.
1903
After entering medical school at the age of 17, Gallie graduated with his MD in 1903

He then spent a year as an intern at the Hospital for Sick Children and another year at the Toronto General Hospital. He then travelled to New York for further training at its Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled.