History

The Thackray Fellowship stands as a tribute to the enduring legacy of Chas. F. Thackray Ltd (1902-1990), an acknowledgment deeply rooted in the company's pivotal role in the advancement of hip arthroplasty. Named in commemoration of their significant contribution, the fellowship pays homage to a historic collaboration between Chas. F. Thackray Ltd and the renowned Sir John Charnley.

Sir John Charnley, a luminary in the field of orthopaedic surgery, notably pioneered advancements in hip arthroplasty that revolutionized the landscape of joint replacement. The Thackray Fellowship, bearing witness to this collaboration, serves as a testament to the seamless integration of medical innovation and industry expertise.

In the spirit of Sir John Charnley's modesty, as reflected in his words, "In Britain, it is not considered good form to acknowledge commercial undertakings in too glowing terms, even though the work would not have been possible without their collaboration." This sentiment underscores the significance of the Thackray Fellowship as a humble acknowledgment of the essential role played by Chas. F. Thackray Ltd in enabling groundbreaking advancements in hip arthroplasty.

By perpetuating this fellowship, the legacy of collaboration lives on, fostering an environment where the marriage of medical expertise and industry support continues to propel the boundaries of orthopaedic innovation. The Thackray Fellowship not only commemorates the historical partnership but also serves as an inspiration for future advancements in hip arthroplasty, embodying the spirit of partnership and progress that defines the intersection of medicine and industry.

Charles Frederick Thackray was the co-founder and owner of Chas Thackray Limited (est. 1902), a company which initially started out as a pharmacy soon shifted its focus to manufacturing and distributing surgical instruments worldwide. Following the unexpected death of Charles Thackray in 1934, the ownership of the firm was passed onto his two sons, Noel and W.P. (Tod) Thackray. Chas Thackray Ltd was directly invovled in the development and manufacturing of the LFA - Low Friction Arthroplasty

Noel and W.P. (Tod) Thackray took over the ownership of the company in 1934. Thackray’s association with Sir John Charnley dates back to 1947, when he first asked Thackray’s to manufacture surgical instruments for him as an alternative to a long-established London firm. Their relationship was the foundation for the development of prostheses for the low friction arthroplasty (LFA). In the ealier phase of LFA, Thackray’s manufactured the stainless steel “Charnley Stem”, while Charnley made the sockets (HMWP) himself, turning them on a lathe in his workshop at home. in 1963, Thackray’s took over the manufacture of HMWP. Their successful relationship spanned over several decades.
In 1982, W. P. (Tod) Thackray wrote:
“Chas. F. Thackray, and myself in particular, feel honoured that we were allowed to participate in the development and manufacture of his instruments and prostheses, used and proven by Sir John in twenty-six years applied to the perfection of this very successful operation.”
In 1990, the company was sold to DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a division of DePuy, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company)

Surgeon, Innovator & Educator
Sir John Charnley is the pioneer of modern hip arthroplasty. He was also an innovator in many other aspects of orthopaedics, including fracture care and arthrodesis.
Charnley pioneered the use of bone cement and provided the first reliable means of implant fixation. He introduced the use of a novel bearing surface, high molecular weight polyethene (HMWP), which formed the basis of successful modern arthroplasty surgery.
He also made significant contributions in reducing infection rates in arthroplasty i.e. perioperative use of antibiotics including antibiotics in cement, development of the Howorth enclosure, and full body gowns with exhaust system.
Sir John Charnley took great pride in training. He went to great trouble to teach his registrars and fellows about every aspect of the operation so that they could perform the procedure at other centres independently and successfully. Surgeons from all around the world visited Sir John Charnley over the years to learn about the low-friction arthroplasty.

Fellowship Description

12-months fellowship, starting at the beginning of August. The fellowship is based at Wrightington Hospital
Mr Anil Gambhir and Professor Tim Board
4-6 elective operating sessions per week
3 elective clinic sessions per week
1 local and 1 regional revision MDT meeting per week
Management of patients on the ward
Primary and revision arthroplasty of hip and knee
- Primary hips - cemented, hybrid, uncemented, impaction bone grafting, custom implants. Paediatric hip replacement
- Primary knee - cemented, uncemented, gap balancing, robotics
- Revision hip arthroplasty - single stage, two-stage, complex acetabular reconstruction with augments, bone graft. CiC revision, modular conical stems, proximal femoral replacement
- Revision knee - single stage, two-stage, condylar constrained, hinge, distal femoral replacements, sleeves, cones
- Young adult hip - hip arthroscopy, laberal repair, laberal debridement, debridement of cam lesion, psoas release, abductor reconstruction, hamstring repair/reconstruction
Fellows have the opportunity to participate in the trauma-oncall rota at the Royal Albert Infirmary Hospital, Wigan

An ariel view of the historic Wrightington Hospital site

Sir John Charnley with international visiting fellows

Tod Thackray (right) and Arthur Hallam (left, engineer and chief of development at Chas Thackray)

AOA-COA ABC Tour 2013 - Hosted by Prof Wroblewski and Mr Purbach

AoA travelling fellows with Prof Martyn Porter 2022

Dr Antonia F. Chen visiting the centre for hip surgery - Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School

AoA Visiting Fellows 2022 - hosted by Prof Martyn Porter

History

Charles Frederick Thackray (1877 - 1934)

W.P. (Tod) Thackray

Sir John Charnley CBE (1911 - 1982)

Fellowship Description

Duration

Fellowship supervisors

Clinical duties

Surgical exposure

Trauma on-call