Živojin Bumbaširević

Bumbaširević was born 26 July 1920 in Kruševac, Yugoslavia into a family of Yugoslavian army officers.[1] The family moved often and Bumbaširević attended schools in Sremska Mitrovica, Karlovac, and Prizren before graduating in 1938 and enrolling at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Medicine.[1] His studies were interrupted by World War II and he did not graduate until 1948.[1] He passed his specialist exam in orthopedics in 1954 and defended his dissertation, The Value of Radiography in the Diagnosis of Hemophilic Arthropathy, in 1975 at the University of Belgrade.[1][2] He started teaching orthopedic surgery and traumatology at the University of Belgrade in 1952 and was made a full professor in 1976.[1][3][4] He also helped to establish the department of traumatology at the university.[1]

Bumbaširević was assigned early on to rounds at an orthopedic surgery and traumatology clinic; at the time, there were no Serbian doctors specializing in orthopedic surgery and traumatology and Bumbaširević saw a gap in the literature and filled it.[1] He served as a ward doctor, head of the ward (1956-2008), assistant director (1961-1970), and director (1971-1980) of the Clinic for Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology.[1][3] From 1969 to 1986, he oversaw the orthopedic surgery and traumatology specialist exam at the University of Belgrade and from 1967 to 1986 oversaw the specialist exam for general surgery and orthopedic surgery at the Military Medical Academy.[1] From 1980 to 1985, he was the head of the Department of Postgraduate Studies in Orthopedics and Traumatology.[1]

He made significant contributions to the cross sections of orthopedics, tuberculosis, and arthropathy.[1] He made advances in spinal surgery, particularly in tuberculosis of the spine, tuberculosis of the musculoskeletal system, hemophilic arthropathy, spinal trauma, bone tumors, and rehabilitation of paraplegic patients.[1] The SIZ of Science of the Republic of Serbia and the Fund for Scientific Research of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts were among the several organizations that funded his work.[1] During his life, Bumbaširević wrote more than 350 articles about orthopaedic surgery and traumatology and organized a scientific conference called the Malignant Bone Tumors in 1989.[4][1] Bumbaširević was the "only orthopedist who was a regular member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Art" at the time of his induction in 1983.[5]

Bumbaširević was a Francophile; he loved French literature and spoke French fluently.[1] He had two sons, Vladimir and Marko, who are both doctors and members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.[6][7] Bumbaširević passed away on 12 November 2008 in Belgrade.[4][1]