Aim: Pay homage to three of the eminent creators of surgical retractors.
Materials and Methods: Literature review.
Background: Good exposure is the key to good surgery and all successful operations. Hand-held and self-retaining retractors are so essential for exposure that we use them every day. Hardly ever, though, the innovators of these indispensable tools receive a second thought.
Clinical significance: Surgical heritage review.
Clinical relevance: Surgical heritage.
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