Cover of James Herndon's book, "Birth of a Specialty"William H. and Johanna A. Harris Distinguished Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital

What is your most treasured possession or HMS memento?
I spent the last 12 years researching – at the Center for the History of Medicine in the Countway Library and in the archives of HMS’s affiliate hospitals – the rise and development of orthopedics in Boston. My work culminated in publication of “Birth of a Specialty: A History of Orthopaedics at Harvard and Its Teaching Hospitals.” The five-volume history chronicles the development of the collaborative mosaic of Harvard’s orthopedic departments in different hospitals which became the basis for the modern juggernaut of orthopedics in Boston.