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Until last June general and vascular surgeons, who do 80% of the lower extremity amputations in the country, had lacked a succinct course of instruction in postamputation rehabilitation and limb fitting. On June 1 and 2, 1972, 16 keenly interested surgeons attended such a course, given by the Prosthetics and Orthotics Section of New York University Postgraduate Medical School. Since it was a first, the faculty designed it as a pilot exercise to be modified in later versions on the basis of faculty and student reactions.
Supported by the Veterans Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, three postgraduate schools in the United States (NYU, Northwestern, and UCLA) have for over 20 years offered one- to six-week courses in orthotics and prosthetics for orthotists and prosthetists, one- or two-week courses for therapists, and one-week courses for physicians and surgeons. Although always welcomed, and