Gfjm Br

Vocation

Notable

Traits

Dutch orthopaedic surgeon, co-founder of the Sint Maartenkliniek at Nijmegen. Guillaume “Wim” Bär was born in a catholic family of physicians. Three siblings also became a medical doctor. He studied Medicine in Utrecht and became an assistant of the surgeon Dr. J.H. Kuijjer in Den Haag. Bär never wrote much papers or even a thesis, but by practising a lot and eagerly learning from the pioneers abroad, he became a leading expert in the field of orthopaedics in the Netherlands. In 1935, when he had not yet finished his education as general surgeon, he was asked to set up an orthopaedic clinic in Nijmegen. It would be the second Dutch clinic specialised in the orthopaedic treatment of the physically disabled. He hesitated long, but after his yes word he enormously put his shoulders under his project which now is called the Sint Maartenkliniek. The thanks to Bärs efforts now prestigious (typically used for second opinions) Sint Maarten Clinic at Nijmegen was designed according to the newest insights by the catholic architect Willem Maas. When it opened in 1936 it was run by the Catholic nuns of the "Zusters van de Choorstraat" and Wim Bär became their inspiring and authoritative head surgeon and director of it. As there was little orthopaedic expertise on Dutch Universities, he studied under Spitzy (Vienna), Schede (Leipzig) and Putti (Bologna) and went to England and Paris visiting the leading specialist of his time. After the war he went to England to study the cybernetic aspects in prosthesiology. In the beginning the surgical results were disappointing, as only the worst cases were presented to him and Dutch orthopaedics was only in a child state. But the clinic also offered like the Jan van Breemen institute in Amsterdam conservative therapy in the form of braces, training of living with a handicap and other forms of rehabilitation. And Bär kept on studying abroad. On 22 February 1944 the ancient city of Nijmegen was accidentally bombarded by US Air Forces that mistook Nijmegen for a German city. The eldest Dutch Batavian-Roman city of the Netherlands Nijmegen (dated more than 2000 years old) was close (only 4 kilometres) situated to the German Border. By the fatal bombardment the historical city centre was massively destroyed. About 800 people died — as many as in the Nazi destruction (crime of War bombardment of the city/ historical heart) of Medieval Rotterdam. Thousands lay wounded. In the crowded Sint Maartenkliniek (having normally only 96 beds) Bär and Ruhaak from Leiden worked day and night and operated on some 30 patients. From 1958 to 1961 he was the chair man of the Dutch Orthopaedic Association. He died June 30, 1968 after a prolonged illness. He left a wife and six children.