Küntscher Society in Honduras

The informal South American group of our Society gave a joint meeting with the 25th National Meeting of the Honduran Society for Orthopedics and Traumatology in Copán, Honduras June 15-18, 2016.

Honduras is in Central America and has plenty of diseases beyond Zika virus and malaria. The focus of the Congress was treatment of complex fractures and post fracture deformities with Intramedullary Nailing and other methods. The program was organized by Prof. Dr. Alvaro Callizo for the South American faculty. In addition to Küntscher Society Board members Seligson and Zura , Drs. Allende from Argentina, Sanheuza from Chile, Callizo from Paraguay, Martinez from Columbia and Barquet from Uruguay spoke. Dr. Jon Carlson from Louisville and Dr. Mary Patricia George from New Orleans were also on the program. Dr. Rene Fonseca Gomez was the host for the Honduran Orthopedic and Traumatology Association (ASHOT).

The meeting was held at the Hotel Clarion which is associated with an archaeological dig managed by Harvard University. The fantastic Mayan ruins at Copán are close by. Copán was an active community until the 9th Century AD. The ruins contain a huge assembly ground, great buildings and walls and elaborate carved columns dedicated to the rulers of the settlement. Yes, they practiced human sacrifice. Believe that it is a good four hour drive through villages, over speed bumps and on washed out pavement from the airport at San Pedro Sula (distinguished for the most murders of any city in the world) to the Clarion Hotel in Copán Ruinas. The meeting was characterized by ‘over the top’ fantastic hospitality, local Mayan regional specialties, sunny and rainy weather, fantastic vistas, and lively discussions. The South Americans will meet again this fall in Panama and are planning to make a group appearance at the 2017 meeting of our Society in Munich.

DAVID SELIGSON

Louisville, June 30, 2016