Josep Trueta was a catalan doctor famous in all the world by his method to treat war wounds and by the discovery of double circulation in the kidney.

Josep Trueta i Raspall was born on October 27th, 1897, at Barcelona (Catalonia), in a family of doctors and scientists. He received a severa and demanding education. Although first of all Trueta wanted to be a painter, familiar influence decidec him to study medicine, that became his main passion, with sport and policy. He graduated in 1921.

On the basis of the Winnet Orr method to treat chronic osteomielitis, Josep Trueta developed his method (the Trueta method) to treat infected opened wounds, specially effective in war wounds. Trueta used his method during spanish civil war and, exiled in England, during World War II. In order to judge his method, consider the following data: during World War I 18% of woundeds died of gangrene, while in the Vietnam War, where the Trueta method was used intensively, only died 0,16% (of course, antibiotics also contributed to this difference).

Trueta also discovered the double circulation in kidney, and so he explained the cases of death by uremia after a shock, today known as "Trueta Shunt".

In 1940, Josep Trueta was elected member of Honor of the British Society of Orthopaedy, and later was nominated doctor "Honoris Causa" in various european universitys. In 1941 he wrote the book "The Spirit of Catalonia", where he spread the catalan aportation to the world history and culture. Caused by the democratic and catalanist militance of Trueta, Franco's regime vetoed his name during many years, and even movilized his diplomacy to avoid that Trueta received the Nobel prize, for wich he was nominated twice. Trueta died in 1977, after return to Catalonia and see the end of the dictatorship.

More information:

• Club d'amics de la Catalanitat.
• Epónimos médicos.