William Russell MacAusland Jr., MD 1922-2004

Abstract

Bill MacAusland was born December 9, 1922, into a rich orthopaedic heritage, as both his father, William R. Sr., and his uncle, Andrew R., were practicing orthopaedic surgeons in the Boston area. Bill was educated at Milton Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Medical School, graduating with a medical degree in 1947. He and Frances Prescott Baker were married and spent the next two years of his surgical training in Rochester, New York. Their first child was born in 1948, and in 1949 Bill began his training in orthopaedics at the New York Orthopaedic Hospital. His residency partner was John Gartland; they wrote three papers together and became lifelong friends. They were later to serve consecutive terms as Presidents of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Bill spent two years as a captain in the United States Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama before returning to Boston to begin the practice of medicine with his father and uncle. His early years in practice were made memorable by the addition of five more children to his expanding family. His boundless energy enabled him to work in several hospitals in Boston and its environs. He loved to “be on service” and work with the residents. One resident commented that Bill “wore his shoes backwards” to get out of the operating room faster and onto his next task! A number of his residents joined him in practice, and all benefited greatly, both personally and professionally, from the association. The large, airy office at 412 Beacon Street easily accommodated two physicians at once, and Bill was readily available to consult on difficult problems and always gave helpful advice. His concern for patients was strong—if one of his patients was hospitalized with a particularly difficult problem, he would often visit that patient …