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He was one of the most outstanding Polish doctors, a precursor of modern surgery. It is to him that we owe many surgical techniques. Who was Ludwik Rydygier?
- Rydygier entered the pages of medical history as an outstanding surgeon. In his day he was one of the most innovative doctors in the world
- Many of the surgical procedures introduced by Rydygier in cardiosurgery, orthopedics, urology, and plastic surgery are still used today.
- In his time he was one of the most innovative specialists, his views were very conservative. He was a staunch opponent of the equality of women in access to the medical profession
Ludwik Rydygier – biography
The story of Ludwik Rydygier’s life would certainly be suitable for a film script. He was born in 1850 near Grudziądz, in the then P partition. Despite his German surname, he always considered himself a Pole and emphasized his origin very emphatically.
He studied medicine first in Krakow, and then in the German Greifswald, where he decided to use the polonized version of the surname, i.e. Rydygier, and not Riediger. And since then he is known as Ludwik Rydygier.
He obtained his doctor’s diploma in 1873, and a year later he became a doctor of medical sciences in the field of surgery and obstetrics. In 1878 he received his habilitation.
He established his own clinic in Chełmno, which was considered one of the most modern in Poland. It is this period of activity that historians consider to be the most creative in Rydygier’s life.
His career gained momentum when in 1887 he became the head of the department of surgery at the Jagiellonian University. He worked there for 10 years until he was offered a position at the University of Lviv. Professor Ludwik Rydygier became the head of the department and the surgery clinic there.
He was famous not only in hospital wards, but also … on the battlefield. During World War I, Rydygier was the head of the military hospital in Brno. Later, in 1918, he fought against the Ukrainians in Lviv. At that time, he took part in creating the medical and sanitary services for the Polish Army. His organizational skills were used in the creation of military hospitals.
Ludwik Rydygier – the greatest achievements
Rydygier entered the pages of medical history as an outstanding surgeon. In his day he was one of the most innovative doctors in the world. The list of his achievements is really impressive.
He was the first in the world to perform gastric resection due to ulceration. He is the second-ever surgeon to perform surgery to remove the pylorus (the muscle ring that connects the duodenum to the stomach) in a patient with stomach cancer.
Ludwik Rydygier made history of medicine as the author of innovative surgical techniques. It was he who was the first to remove a prostate adenoma. He also made a name for himself in textbooks thanks to a completely new method of treating peptic ulcer disease using gastrointestinal anastomosis.
Many of the surgical procedures introduced by Rydygier in cardiosurgery, orthopedics, urology and plastic surgery are still used today.
It is worth mentioning here that prof. Rydygier “raised” many outstanding surgeons – young medical adepts wanted to learn surgery under his supervision. Among his students there were many future professors.
His passion for medicine was visible not only in operating theaters, but also in scientific activities. Ludwik Rydygier organized the first surgical conference in Poland – the event took place in 1889 in Krakow. The meetings were the beginning of the activities of the Society of Polish Surgeons.
Ludwik Rydygier – a controversial figure
Ludwik Rydygier was a world-class physician. He contributed to the development of new surgical techniques that medical professionals still use. He was a patriot, scientists, a great organizer.
And despite the fact that in his time he was one of the most innovative specialists, his views were very conservative.
He was a staunch opponent of the equality of women in access to the medical profession. When the university where he worked was deciding whether women could be admitted to medical studies, he voted against. In the book “To jest Krakow, Mości Książę” by Mieczysław Czuma, Leszek Mazan and Michał Kozioł, we read that Rydygier paid for advertisements in newspapers out of his own pocket in which he opposed the presence of women in medicine.
Ludwik Rydygier died suddenly in 1920. His remains rest in the Cemetery of the Defenders of Lviv.
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