Dr. Vincent Turco was a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and specialist in clubfoot. The son of Italian immigrants, he was born in Newark, New Jersey, on Sep. 10, 1916. The family moved to Westerly, Rhode Island when he was six, and he attended public schools in the area. In 1937, he graduated from the University of Rhode Island. He received his M.D. from Tufts University in 1941. After an internship at St. Francis Hospital, Hartford, from 1941- 1942, he did his orthopedic residency at Boston City Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. During World War II, Dr. Turco was commissioned as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. and practiced as Chief Orthopedic Surgeon at Tilton General Hospital at Fort Dix, NJ.
After the war, he served as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT, and as Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University and the University of Connecticut Medical Schools. In 1948. he married Gloria Marcello and fathered two children, Paul and Vincent. He was a visiting professor and guest lecturer to 13 countries and many universities and medical centers in the U.S. He was also a team physician in the National Hockey League and orthopedist for world-class gymnasts and international figure skating competitions. He also worked as a professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where he trained a generation of Orthopedic Specialists in Connecticut.
Dr. Turco belonged to many medical societies, including The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, and the Twentieth Century Orthopedic Association. He was a visiting Professor three times at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital and taught at Emory Medical School and the Hospital of Joint Diseases. He spent 16 years as a team physician for the Hartford Whalers and the Hartford Knights Football team. Dr. Turco was a passionate lover of music, particularly Italian Opera, and often attended performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Dr. Turco, the author of numerous publications, lectured widely across the United States and internationally. Dr. Turco’s 1981 book Clubfoot remains the book of record on that disorder. Clubfoot is one of the most common lower limb deformities observed in newborns. Clubfoot is a common birth defect, occurring in about 1 in 150,000 to 200,000 babies worldwide yearly. It is usually an isolated condition for an otherwise healthy newborn. Still, there are some cases when it can be associated with other medical conditions, such as spina bifida. These types of medical conditions are often diagnosed before the child is born. Without treatment, a child will likely eventually have pain and experience trouble walking and wearing shoes. The best time to start treatment for clubfoot is soon after birth, but treatment can also be effective in older children. With early treatment, children with clubfoot can grow up to wear regular shoes, take part in sports, and lead full, active lives. If only one foot is involved, the affected foot is generally 1 to 1.5 shoe sizes smaller than the unaffected one, the leg is shorter, and the calf appears slightly thinner. These differences do not affect the child’s ability to use his foot or leg normally.
Over the centuries, the exact cause of clubfoot remains unclear. When left untreated, clubfoot may cause a severe impairment of the lower extremities, resulting in a significant level of disability due to pain, stiffness, and gait disturbance. Many treatment techniques, either conservative or surgical, have been used over centuries. In 1905, at a meeting of the Italian Society of Surgery’ a standardized surgical procedure known as the “Codivilla procedure” was developed. Codivilla’s surgical technique consists of two stages: firstly, the joints affected by the deformity are opened and shaped; secondly, tendon and muscular elongation are performed. In 1971, Dr. Turco developed a procedure that simplified Codivilla’s technique and led to faster recovery. In some cases, his technique corrected the problem without surgery. He became known as the “Clubfoot Doctor” and helped thousands of children lead normal lives.
Dr. Turco died on July 15, 1999. He was inducted into The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1985.
For further reading:
“Reconstruction of Overlengthening After Recession With an Achilles Tendon Allograft,” Dr. Vincent J. Turco, Orthrop, 1981.
Clubfoot, by Dr. Vincent J. Turco, Medicusbooks, 1981.
“Injuries to the ankle and foot in athletics, Dr. Vincent J. Turco, Orthop, N. Arm, 1977.