r e v b r a s o r t o p . 2014;49(5):550–551
w w w . r b o . o r g . b r
Obituary
Francisco
A.
S.
Cafalli
(1929–2014)
夽
FranciscoA.S.Cafalli,Dr.Cafalli,orsimplyCafalli,ashe likedtobecalledbyhisfriends,wasborninSãoPaulo,theson ofItalians,andalwaysstoodoutbecauseofhisunparalleled politeness,tenacityandintelligence.
Hecompletedhismiddleandhighschooleducationwith honorablementions atthe DanteAlighieri Italian-Brazilian SecondaryEducationInstitute,whichwaslaterrenamedthe DanteAlighieriCollege.HewasadmittedtotheMedicalSchool oftheUniversity ofSão Paulo(USP)throughtheuniversity entrance examination in 1948, and passed in third place. There,duringthemedicalcourse,hespenttimewith illus-trious professors of the medical school and he began his scientificcareerwithawardsandpublishedpapers.
Hegraduated in medicine inDecember 1953 and chose orthopedicsashisspecialty,attractedbytheprominenceof therecentlyinauguratedbuilding ofthe Instituteof Ortho-pedics and Traumatology, then known as the Orthopedics andTraumatologyClinic,whichcomprisedastructureoften floorsandanannexofthreefloors,withfloorareaofaround 20,000m2.Hecompletedhisinternshipandmedicalresidency inorthopedicandtraumatologicalclinicalmedicine(29th pro-fessorship)attheteachinghospitaloftheUSPMedicalSchool between1954and1956,underthedirectionofProfessorF.E. GodoyMoreira.Hewasadmittedasanauxiliaryteacherand physician.
In1959,heobtainedstudybursariesfundedbytheFrench Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the Brazilian Coordina-tion OfficeforImprovement ofHigher-Education Personnel
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Pleasecitethisarticleas:RamalhoJúniorA.FranciscoA.S.Cafalli(1929-2014).RevBrasOrtop.2014;49(5):550–1.
(CAPES) foratraining programinthe clinicsofthe Profes-sors R. Judet,Paris,France; M. D’Aubigné, Paris,France; M. Guilleminet,Lyon,France;J.J.Herbet,Aix-les-Bains,France;R. Zanoli,Bologna,Italy;O.Scaglietti,Florence,Italy;R.G. Pulve-nartaft,Derby,England;andW.Sommerville,Oxford,England. UponreturningtoBrazil,in1963,hebeganhisactivitiesat the Orthopedicsand Traumatology Clinicofthe “Francisco MoratodeOliveira”StatePublicServants’Hospital,by invita-tionfromDr.PlínioCândidodeSouzaDiastodeOliveira.This hospitalhadrecentlybeeninauguratedandhadresourcesthat were extremelyadvancedfortheera,suchas“surgicalarc” radioscopyapparatus.There,alsoin1963,heparticipatedin creatingthehospital’smedicalresidencyprogram,whichwas oneofthe firsttobeaccreditedbythe BrazilianSocietyof OrthopedicsandTraumatology(SBOT).
InNovember1970,hewasfascinatedbythevisitby Pro-fessor G.K. McKee F.R.C.S to the Public Servants’ Hospital, where, together, they performed metal-to-metal cemented totalarthroplastyprocedureswithunprecedented transmis-sionbytelevisiontotheaudienceoftheNinthOrthopedics andTraumatologyStudyDay.
Through his scientific restlessness and in search of advances withinthe specialty, hetraveled abroad againin 1971,onatrainingprogramwiththeProfessorsG.K.McKee F.R.C.S,inNorwich,England;SirJ.CharleyF.R.C.S,inWigan, England;R.S.GardenF.R.C.S,inPreston,England;andR.Meary and M. Postel, inParis, France. For further refinement, he participated activelyinsurgerywiththe ProfessorsH. Sed-donF.R.C.S,inLondon,England;M.FreemanF.R.C.S,alsoin London;H.Frost,inDetroit,UnitedStates;andR.B.Salter,in Toronto,inCanada.
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obsessivelyobservethefirstprincipleofmedicaltreatment:
primumnonnocere(first,donoharm).
With this focus, after reading the article “The role of arthroscopyin the management ofdisorders ofthe knee”, published by R.W. Jackson and Isao Abe in JBJS 54 (1972) 310–322, he decided to visit Professor Jackson in Toronto. Afterintensivecorrespondenceand withtheacquisition of aWatanabe21arthroscopefortheOrthopedicsand Trauma-tologyClinicofthePublicServants’Hospital,hewasableto bringDr.RobertW.Jacksontovisitthehospitalin1973,forthe firsttheoretical-practicalcourseonarthroscopyinBrazil.This procedurebecameimportantafterthiscourseandculminated withavisittoBrazilbyProfessorWatanabein1975andvisits abroadbyseveralorthopedists.
AtDr.Cafalli’sinvitation,severalinternationallyrenowned professors, such as Eduardo A. Salvati, John Insall, Robert Salter,H.FrostandD.Evans,gavecoursesandtalksand par-ticipatedinsurgeryatthePublicServants’Hospital,always improvingandinnovatingtheorthopedicspracticedthere.
In1981,whenBrazilianorthopedicshadthehonortohost the15thSICOTTriennialWorldCongress,underthe chairman-shipofthelateProfessorDagmarChaves,theFourthCongress oftheInternationalArthroscopyAssociationalsotookplace attheHotelIntercontinentalinRiodeJaneiro.OnAugust28 ofthatyear,atameetingwithseveralprominentcolleagues withinBrazilianorthopedicsandwithDr.RobertW.Jackson andDr.MasakiWatanabe,Dr.Cafallifoundedthe Brazilian SocietyofArthroscopyandtookonthepresidencyofthefirst administration.
Hewasalsoactiveinthe scientificprogramofthe15th SICOTTriennialWorldCongress.Hetookpartinround-table discussionsinthemainauditoriumwithdistinguishedfigures withintheworldwideorthopediccommunitysuchasDr.W. Harris,ofHarvardUniversity,onthetopicoftheimportance ofpreventingdeepveinthrombosisduringthepostoperative periodafterorthopedicsurgery,throughusingheparin,which atthattimewaslittleused.
In1982,hetookleavefromthePublicServants’Hospitalto takeontheroleofOrthopedicsCoordinator,aschiefsurgeon, atthe“SarahKubitschek”HospitalforDiseasesofthe Locomo-torSystem.Thishospitalwasrecentlyinauguratedbutlacked technicalandscientificfoundationsinorthopedics.
Afterplantingseedsthere,hereturnedtoSãoPaulototake onthepositionofDirectoroftheOrthopedicsClinicofthe Pub-licServants’Hospital,aftertheretirementofDr.PlínioCândido deSouzaDias.
In 1985, he created the Orthopedics Study Center of the PublicServants’ Hospital, which focuseson continuing
medicaleducationforresidentsandattendingphysiciansat theclinic.
In1989,hetookonthepresidencyoftheDepartmentof OrthopedicsoftheSãoPauloMedicalAssociation/SãoPaulo RegionalAssociationofSBOT.Heorganizedthefirststudydays atCamposdoJordão,whichoriginatedthepresent-day Ortho-pedicsandTraumatologyCongressoftheStateofSãoPaulo (COTESP).
HecontinuedasDirectoroftheOrthopedicsand Trauma-tologyClinicoftheStatePublicServants’Hospitaluntil1998. Hewasanactivememberofseveralinternationalsocieties, suchastheBritishOrthopedicAssociation(OverseasFellow), AmericanAcademyofOrthopedicSurgeons(Reciprocal Mem-ber)and International Arthroscopy Association (Directorat Large). He participated in several government committees, published many scientific articles and book chapters and received awards and homageover the entire courseofhis career.
Dr. Cafalli made many technical and scientific contrib-utions toBrazilianandinternationalorthopedics,but what alwaysmarkedtheprofileofthisirreplaceablephysicianwas hischaracter:simplebutnoble,politeandattentivetowardhis colleagues andpatients, but absolutelyintransigenttoward substandardwork.
Heheldfirmtostrongprinciplesofhonesty,humanismand sensitivity,and alwaysfocusedon hismission tominimize humansuffering,whilecallinghimself“apolitical”.
Hebroughtuphistwochildrenwithgreatattentionand care,transmittingunmatchablevaluestothem,andalsohad theopportunitytoenjoythelovingcompanyofhis grandchil-dren.
Hesharedhisdeservedyearsofloveandjoywithhisdearly lovedwifeNancyL.Cafalli,whoremainedbesidehimuntilhis lastmoments.
Dr.Cafalli, this greatmanwho issomuchmissed, was buriedinSalvador,onMay7,drapedinthebannerofPalmeiras FootballClub,hisfavoriteteam.
AmâncioRamalhoJúnior
E-mail:[email protected] Availableonline16September2014
