Profesor Mieczyslaw Skulimowski: in search of the roots of rehabilitation in Cracow.
This article describes the life and accomplishments of Prof. Mieczyslaw Skulimowski (1930-1982), who among his many achievements was the inventor of subterraneotherapy, i.e. the utilization of the chemical and physical properties of the air in underground environments to promote the health of patients with various kinds of ailments, including especially respiratory diseases. He designed and operated for many years an underground sanatorium in an abandoned run of the historic Wieliczka salt mine near Cracow. This facility provided the modek for similar underground facilities in caverns and mines throughout Europe. Prof. Skulimowski was an indefatigable organizer who played a vital role in establishing an important series of National Rehabilitation Symposia, the precursors of the International Congresses of the Polish Rehabilitation Society. He also wrote a standard textbook on physiotherapy for medical students. He advocated a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation, encompassing all available forms of non-invasive treatment, including psychotherapy.
Oddział Rehabilitacji Medycznej, Krakowskie Centrum Rehabilitacji, Kraków.
Maria
M
Pachalska
Adam
A
Pachalski
Maria
M
Schmidt-Pospuła