La Bella Storia di Raffaele Paparella-Treccia

17 × 24 cm volume, 64 pages with colour plates, 45-minute DVD including an interview with Professor Paparella-Treccia. Hardcover with full-colour laminated cover.

I acknowledge that, in recounting the “beautiful story” of Raffaele Paparella-Treccia, my words may appear emphatic, driven by a memory so strongly inspired by affection and esteem as to erase any trace of shadows or hidden recesses that often lie concealed within each of us.

And yet, no; I am certain that I have not erred in this regard. With this awareness, I wished to pause and invite the reader to observe (through the reading of these few pages, the viewing of images, and a DVD dedicated to his life) how his communication, actions, and professional conduct were always and exclusively positive. I firmly believe that we all need to seek out, recognise, and relive positive examples in today’s confused world.

Precisely because I am deeply aware of the negative and burdensome realities so often described and observed today in a healthcare system and academic world affected by widespread malpractice, I felt a moral duty to present a positive and exemplary life which, out of modesty and discretion, the protagonist himself never proclaimed.

In keeping with his discreet nature, I too chose to condense his story into a limited number of pages, so that a documented and realistic memory of him might endure over time.

I believe his example is above all a source of pride for the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and a reassurance for all of us, for the dignity of our profession, and especially for the many young people facing times far harsher and more difficult than those we experienced.

They have the undeniable right to believe and hope in the reality of a sound and ethical medical and surgical profession and deserve to receive qualified teaching in which doctrine is matched by exemplary conduct in life.

Even in his passing, Paparella proved himself to be in step with the times through his testimony; today he launches a confident and realistic message of relevance to all of us, and above all to future young physicians: “it can be done.”

16 May 2010

Published with the patronage of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (S.I.O.T.) and the Italian Society of the Ankle and Foot (S.I.C.P.).