Over his long career, Toronto-born orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Robert W. Jackson (1932-2010), gathered a collection of arthroscopic and orthopedic artifacts. The collection is important given Dr. Jackson’s role in bringing arthroscopy into the orthopedic mainstream. During a year-long research trip to Japan that began in 1964, Dr. Jackson encountered the surgical group led by Dr. Masaki Watanabe (1911 – 1995). Working with them, he became familiar with the arthroscopic tools and techniques that Japanese researchers had developed over several decades.
Dr. Jackson’s collection documents the evolution of arthroscopic surgery over a critical period from the 1960s through the 1990s. It also covers many other elements of the field’s development over that period. It is a valuable source for understanding the progress of orthopaedic research in Ontario.
This online exhibit was created as a complement to an artifact display that was held at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Ontario Orthopaedic Association held on September 7th to 8th at the Toronto Hyatt Regency Hotel. The exhibit’s purpose has been to inform the orthopedic community about this resource as well as to solicit support to complete the cataloguing and documentation process. If you would like to contribute to this effort, either through financial support or research information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
This online exhibit includes the artifact text from the conference exhibit, with some added detail and links to catalogued artifacts. A complete list of currently catalogued items in the Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy Collection, as well as a detailed collection description, can be found at this link.
