Abstract

Robert Litt passed away on March 12, 2009 following a long and distressing illness which he endured with courage and dignity, with the loving support of his wife and their seven sons. Robert was born on February 8, 1928 ; he graduated in 1952 from the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of Louvain and he received in 1959 his certification as specialist in General Surgery, which he subsequently exchanged for Orthopaedic Surgery.During his training years in Louvain under Prof G. Debaisieux, J. Morelle and P. Lacroix, he developed a particular interest in surgery of the musculoskeletal system, which he was to practice with unremitting enthusiasm during his entire professional career. His training also included training periods under Prof P Decoulx in Lille and McFarland in Liverpool. He was then invested with major clinical responsabilities at the Institut Maritime Belge d'orthopédie (IMBO) in Ostende, and finally settled in Liège, where he launched the Orthopaedic Department of the Clinique Saint-Joseph with the late J. Moyersoen and A. Albassir. The department was soon recognized as a training institution for orthopaedic surgery. Robert was unanimously appreciated for his competence, his dedication to the orthopaedic profession, his hard working capacity and his conviviality combined with a permanent touch of humour and warm friendship. As a result, he was soon able to use his organisational talents to the benefit of the profession as he was entrusted with higher responsabilities, locally and on a national level. He chaired the Medical Council and the Council of Management of his institution from 1981 till 1987. As of 1986, he was appointed Vice-Chairman and subsequently Honorary Chairman of the Belgian Medical Professional Union. He was President of SOBCOT (Société Belge de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie) in 1988-1989. He also became deeply involved in the Certification Committee for specialist surgeons in orthopaedics, and he presided over that committee from 1969 until 1996. He fulfilled these various official tasks with utmost rigor, and his official reports always reflected his innate sense of accuracy and precision. His interest in teaching and training resulted in numerous publications, predominantly on the lower limb and the foot in children with neurological conditions. In 1988, he organized and chaired our yearly national meeting which focused on this topic. Robert was also a member of several national and international scientific associations, and was awarded several honorary distinctions. After his retirement, he enjoyed hiking with family and close friends in the Fagnes, for which he had always had a true passion which he loved to share with others. Robert will be remembered as an outstanding colleague and friend who was unanimously appreciated for his dedication to his profession and his official tasks, for his energy and his integrity, as well as his constant human warmth. On behalf of the Belgian Orthopaedic Associations, we wish to express our deep sympathy to his wife Monique and to his children and grandchildren on the loss of a wonderful companion.