The story of Gavrill Ilirazov (1921-1992) and his eponymous frame is inspirational on many levels. It is not just a tale of towering medical achievement, or genuine and transformatory innovation, but also a clear demonstration of what the right person might achieve armed with intellect, application and opportunity, despite an establishment set against them. Very little in any aspect of human endeavour though springs entirely from nowhere, and the foundations for Professor Ilizarovs’ work are clearly traced in The Bone and Joint Journal articles by Fergal Monsel, Mark Jackson and co-authors.  Whether you are an exponent of  “Frame surgery” or refer these complex cases on, both The Journal papers provide very comprehensive, yet succinct perspective and insights into Limb Reconstruction. The very clear “lay” explanation of the geometrical theory behind the Hexapod construct that is the basis of  the Taylor Spatial Frame(TSF), as well as its wider application across different Industries, is particularly illuminating. From the OrthOracle side Paul Fentons Instructional technique on  the TSF hardware and software makes complimentary and very practically orientated reading as does Hari Harans step by step distal tibial osteotomy technique using the Taylor Spatial Frame. For a wealth of other academic papers on Limb reconstruction, many of which are open access, visit the new Bone and Joint Journal platform, and for many more instructional techniques demonstrating real cases visit us at OrthOracle.

But back to Professor Ilizarov, for whom I can think of no more apt summation of the scale his achievement than by quoting Arthur Schopenhauer, the 19th Century German philosopher:

 “Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see”