Robert D. Acland

Robert D. Acland, MBBS, FRCS (June 20, 1941 – January 6, 2016) was a surgeon and academic credited with being one of the pioneers in plastic and reconstructive microsurgery. He was the younger son of Richard Acland and his wife Anne.^[1] He developed one of the first microsurgical instruments, the Acland micro-vessel clamp,^[2] as well as the 10-0 nylon sutures and needles that are still used today. He published the first edition of Acland's Practice Manual for Micro-vascular Surgery, also known as the "Red Book", a manual on microsurgical techniques (1997). The current edition was revised in 2008^[3] and is still an essential tool for any trainee in microsurgical techniques and fundamentals of surgical microscopes and their use.

Acland was also a clinical anatomist and became a pioneer in the field of fresh tissue dissection. From 1981 to 2011, he established and ran the Fresh Tissue Anatomy Dissection Laboratory for surgeons and students at the University of Louisville, which was the first of its kind in the United States, and is considered one of the best and most respected facilities in the world.

Acland's major published work consists of the comprehensive Video Atlas of Human Anatomy.^[4] The video atlas depicts moving structures and pioneers new and highly effective techniques of anatomical videography for a clear three-dimensional understanding of spatial relationships. The unique dynamic and 3-D perspective was achieved using innovative camera rotation techniques pioneered at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

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