Adolf Lorenz and the Lolita Armour Case

Abstract

Almost 120 years ago, in 1902, the American multimillionaire J. Ogden Armour invited the Austrian orthopaedic surgeon Adolf Lorenz, professor at the University of Vienna, to treat his daughter Lolita. Lolita was born premature in 1896 and spent the first months of her life in an incubator. Later she was diagnosed with congenital dislocation of both hips. Lorenz had developed a "bloodless" treatment method and was invited by the Armour family to Chicago to "operate" on Lolita. Both hips had already been treated by an American orthopaedic surgeon before but without a satisfactory result. Lorenz should achieve a better one. The operation was performed in Chicago on 12 October 1902 and was accompanied by a very large media spectacle. This article is mainly based on contemporary newspaper reports.

Keywords: 1902; Adolf Lorenz; Armour family; Bloodless surgery; Congenital dislocation of the hip.

Fig. 1

Lolita Armour (at the age of surgery) (Lorenz Archiv Vienna—Photograph: G. Holzer)

Fig. 2

Adolf Lorenz in Chicago 1902 (Lorenz Archiv—Photograph: G. Holzer)

Fig. 3

Title page of “On the treatment of the congenital hip dislocation by “unbloody” reposition and functional loading” published 1900 (Photograph: G. Holzer)

Fig. 4

After surgery on October 12th 1902: Adolf Lorenz, Friedrich Müller, Dexter Ashley (Lorenz Archiv Vienna—Photograph: G. Holzer)

Fig. 5

Gymnastics hall in Lorenz’ historical office in Vienna (Photograph: G. Holzer)