Harry J. Buncke
Encyclopedia
'Harry J. Buncke', MD was an American
plastic surgeon who has been called "The Father of Microsurgery
" for his contributions in the history and development of reconstructive microsurgical procedures. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm He is a past president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the International Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, and the American Association of Plastic Surgery. He served as a clinical professor of surgery at both Stanford University and the University of California - San Francisco. He was the author of 15 movies and television tapes, four surgical textbooks, and more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, and earned his medical degree from the New York Medical College
in 1951. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm
which he set up in his garage, using instruments and sutures he developed. In 1964, he reported a rabbit
ear replantation to the Plastic Surgery Research Council Meeting in Kansas City, Kansas
.
This was the first report of successfully using blood vessels 1 millimeter in size, an achievement previously thought to be technically impossible.
In 1966, Buncke and colleagues reported the transplant
ation of a monkey
great toe to hand using microsurgery, a second landmark that ushered in an era where replantation of amputated digits and extremities would become widely performed.
With Dr. Donald McLean, Buncke performed the first successful microvascular transplant using omentum
to fill a large scalp
defect In 1969.http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm.
In 1970, Buncke founded the Buncke Clinic http://www.buncke.org/history.html at the Davies Medical Center in San Francisco, California
. Surgeons at this clinic went on to accomplish many 'firsts', including a human toe-to-hand transplant, scalp replantations, serratus-combined-latissimus microvascular transplants, four-digit replantion and, in 1997, the replantation of a severed tongue.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
plastic surgeon who has been called "The Father of Microsurgery
Microsurgery
Microsurgery is a general term for surgery requiring an operating microscope. The most obvious developments have been procedures developed to allow anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves which have allowed transfer of tissue from one part of the body to another and...
" for his contributions in the history and development of reconstructive microsurgical procedures. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm He is a past president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the International Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery, and the American Association of Plastic Surgery. He served as a clinical professor of surgery at both Stanford University and the University of California - San Francisco. He was the author of 15 movies and television tapes, four surgical textbooks, and more than 400 peer-reviewed publications. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm
Education
Dr. Buncke attended Lehigh UniversityLehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, and earned his medical degree from the New York Medical College
New York Medical College
New York Medical College, aka New York Med or NYMC, is a private graduate health sciences university based in Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City and a part of the New York Metropolitan Area...
in 1951. http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm
Career
Buncke's work began in a laboratoryLaboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
which he set up in his garage, using instruments and sutures he developed. In 1964, he reported a rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
ear replantation to the Plastic Surgery Research Council Meeting in Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
.
This was the first report of successfully using blood vessels 1 millimeter in size, an achievement previously thought to be technically impossible.
In 1966, Buncke and colleagues reported the transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
ation of a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
great toe to hand using microsurgery, a second landmark that ushered in an era where replantation of amputated digits and extremities would become widely performed.
With Dr. Donald McLean, Buncke performed the first successful microvascular transplant using omentum
Omentum
Omentum may refer to:* greater omentum* lesser omentum...
to fill a large scalp
Scalp
The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly.-Layers:It is usually described as having five layers, which can conveniently be remembered as a mnemonic:...
defect In 1969.http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Buncke_CHICAGO-Harry_584127694.htm.
In 1970, Buncke founded the Buncke Clinic http://www.buncke.org/history.html at the Davies Medical Center in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. Surgeons at this clinic went on to accomplish many 'firsts', including a human toe-to-hand transplant, scalp replantations, serratus-combined-latissimus microvascular transplants, four-digit replantion and, in 1997, the replantation of a severed tongue.
External links
- website part written by this surgeon.- CPMC.org - "Dr. Harry Buncke's reputation is legendary as the 'father of microsurgery.'" California Pacific Medical CenterCalifornia Pacific Medical CenterCalifornia Pacific Medical Center is one of the largest private, non-profit, academic medical centers in Northern California. The Medical Center is a combination of four of San Francisco's oldest medical institutions: Pacific Presbyterian Hospital, Children's Hospital of San Francisco, Davies...
- CPMC.org - 'Pioneering Microsurgery: Offering Hope to Trauma Victims, Harry J. Buncke, MD Gregory M. Buncke, MD', California Pacific Medical Center
- SFGate.com - 'Saving limbs is a family business at the Buncke Clinic', Sam Whiting, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
(May 21, 2006