Prof. Ludwik Bierkowski: in search of the roots of orthopedics, traumatology, and rehabilitation in Cracow.
This article describes the life and accomplishments of Prof. Ludwik Bierkowski (1801-1860), who held the Chair of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University from 1831 until his premature death in 1860. The list of "firsts" in Polish medicine accumulated by Prof. Bierkowski is a long one, but two are of particular importance: he was the first surgeon to perform an operation in Poland using ether-induced general anesthesia (only a matter of several months after the first such operation in the world was performed in Boston), and the first to establish a "School of Medical Gymnastic", which we could call today a medical rehabilitation center.<br /> Prof. Bierkowski's life coincided with a very turbulent period in the history of Poland, Cracow, and the Jagiellonian University. He left an indelible mark on Polish medicine and on the University he severed faithfully throughout his adult life. He is also remembered for his devotion to his patients, especially to the most unfortunate; he never turned away a patient who was unable to pay for his services, even in his private practice, and his newspaper advertisements openly proclaimed that fact. When he died of liver cancer; by his students, who regarded him as their Master and paradigm; and by his patients, who gratefully remembered his selflessness and devotion.
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Oddział Rehabilitacji Medycznej, Krakowskie Centrum Rehabilitacji, Kraków.
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