he studied at Berlin and Göttingen before returning to Dorpat as a professor of Surgery. In 1840, he became the professor of surgery at the academy of military medicine in St. Petersburg. Pirogov introduced the use of ether anaesthesia to Russia and made important contributions to the study of cross-sectional human anatomy. With the help of his patron, the grand duchess Helene Pavlovna, he introduced female nurses into the military hospitals at the same time that Florence Nightingale was beginning a similar program in British military hospitals. Seutin had travelled through Russia demonstrating his 'starched bandage', and his technique had been adopted by both the Russian army and navy by 1837. Pirogov had observed the use of plaster of Paris bandages in the studio of a sculptor who used strips of linen soaked in liquid plaster of Paris for making models (this technique, called "modroc," is still popular). Pirogov went on to develop his own methods, although he was aware of Mathijsen's work. Pirogov's method involved soaking coarse cloth in a plaster of Paris mixture immediately before application to the limbs, which were protected either by stockings or cotton pads. Large dressings were reinforced with pieces of wood. As time passed and the method moved more into the mainstream some disagreement arose as to the problems associated with cutting off air to skin contact, and also some improvements were made. Eventually Pirogov's method gave way to Mathijsen's. Among the improvements suggested as early as 1860 was that of making the dressing resistant to water by painting the dried plaster of Paris with a mixture of shellac dissolved in alcohol. The first commercial bandages were not produced until 1931 in Germany, and were called Cellona. Before that the bandages were made by hand at the hospitals. As a plaster cast is applied, it expands by approximately 0.5%. The less water used, the more linear expansion occurs. Potassium sulfate can be used as an accelerator and sodium borate as a retarder to control setting time. See also Buddy wrapping H. Winnett Orr, US Army surgeon who developed orthopedic plaster casts Anne Acheson, British-Irish sculptor who, together with Elinor Hallé, invented and developed orthopedic plaster casts Orthotics Dental braces Kendrick extrication device Long spine board Halo (medicine) Cervical collar Back brace References External links Plaster Casts & Sam's injury at The Periodic Table of Videos (University of Nottingham) Orthopedic treatment