A short history of the anterior cruciate ligament and the treatment of tears.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was first described by Galen (circa 170 A.D.). During a period of some 1600 years, the importance of the ACL seems not to have been sufficiently appreciated. With the advent of arthroscopy, motor vehicle accidents, and professional athletics, the ACL emerged to the forefront of orthopedic problems. Hey Groves' operation (1917) forms the basis of the modern intra-articular reconstruction. Campbell (1936) described the triad of torn medial meniscus, medial collateral ligament, and ACL. In the prearthroscopy period of contemporary orthopedics, O'Donoghue (1950) advanced the research and treatment of ACL of the knees of college athletes.