Inheriting, innovating, and developing: a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Chinese modern burn discipline

Abstract

In 1958, with the national steelmaking, the number of burn victims greatly increased. With general surgery, trauma, and plastic surgeons as the core, a burn rescue group formed through multi-disciplinary cooperation, which gradually developed into an independent discipline. With great love and responsibility, the vast number of medical and nursing staff of burn discipline learned and discussed in practice, who were constantly improving and daring to break through and innovate. At that time, Qiu Caikang, the steel-making worker, with 89% total body surface area (TBSA) of total burn area and 23% TBSA of full-thickness burn, was rescued in Shanghai Guangci Hospital (now known as Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine), which was the first to succeed, rewriting the world record, followed by successful reports from hospitals in Chongqing, Xi'an, Beijing, and other places. The modern Chinese burn discipline has gone through 60 years since its inception in 1958. Several generations have carried out experimental research in combination with clinical practice, established the Society of Burn Surgery of the Chinese Medical Association and academic journals, created a treatment program for severe burns in China with treatment level in the world's leading position, enriching the world's treasure trove of burn medicine!