Smith–Petersen and early development of hip arthroplasty

Dr. Marius N. Smith-Petersen, in Boston, MA, USA, introduced the mould arthroplasty (1923). He used a reactive synovial-like membrane that he found had developed around a piece of glass he had removed from a workman’s back, which had been imbedded there for a year. The original design was a ball-shaped, hollow hemisphere of glass that could fit over the femoral head of the hip joint. The objective was to stimulate cartilage regeneration on both sides of the moulded glass joint. Smith-Peterson intended to remove the glass after the cartilage had been restored. Glass provided a new, smooth surface for movement, and although proving biocompatible, it could not withstand the stresses of walking and quickly failed. Smith-Petersen succeeded in his endeavour by using Vitallium alloy.