Dr. Jim Rathbun and patient John Dakin

Working for an undertaker while in Grade 13, young Jim Rathbun thought it might be nicer to deal with people while they were still living. The rest, as they say, is history.

Dr. Rathbun has been an orthopedic surgeon at The Scarborough Hospital since 1973. While studying medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston, his father’s friend—an orthopedic surgeon—influenced his choice of specialty. Since then, Dr. Rathbun has seen amazing advances in orthopaedic surgery.

“When I started, it was mostly trauma. There was some total joint surgery, but it was still very new,” he recalls. “The early ones weren’t very good, but today’s techniques allow for replacing part or all of the joint, retaining the ligaments and resulting in patients remaining far more active after these procedures.

“The next thing could be cartilage transplants or replacing worn-out cartilage with something biological, but that’s a long way off yet.”

Dr. Rathbun’s surgical expertise prompted fellow sailing enthusiast and friend, John Dakin, to write a glowing letter about his experience at TSH last November, when John needed knee surgery.

“Jim (Dr. Rathbun) has looked after my kids’ injuries over the years, so when it was time for knee surgery, there was only one place for me,” says John, who has known Dr. Rathbun for 30 years.

“From the moment I arrived until I was discharged, the staff was absolutely fantastic,” John writes in his letter. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, that I dealt with couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful. From the admitting staff to the nurses, orderlies, physiotherapists and the doctor, everyone seemed to truly enjoy what they were doing.

“The staff made me feel that I was important and they were never too busy to talk to me if needed, and most everyone had a sense of humour that is often not the case in that environment.”

That kind of camaraderie is encouraged by Dr. Rathbun in the OR, and is an extension of the man himself—an avid sailor who also spends some of his spare time playing oldtimers’ hockey.

“If I’m not working on old sailors’ knees, I’m working on old hockey players’ knees,” he quips. “I see a lot of both.”

And while sports can play a factor in knee problems in later years, Dr. Rathbun says there’s more to it than that.

“Many people think if they had an injury in high school, then that explains why their knees are worn out at age 55 or 60,” he explains. “But the vast majority of people need only go back into their family history—to their parents or grandparents—and discover their ancestors had arthritic knees, too. So a lot of it is genetic.”

The father of a physician in Florida, Dr. Rathbun is thrilled with the improvements in TSH’s new emergency.

“But when we get new surgical suites, that will be even better,” he quips.