[Our surgical heritage. The surgical schools in Magdeburg]

During the previous two centuries several leading personalities have worked in the two major surgical hospitals of the city of Magdeburg. This retrospective view remembers a few of these surgeons and their merits for patients, education and scientific life. In the hospital "Krankenhaus Altstadt Magdeburg" the work of surgeons dates back to 1827 with the foundation of a surgical hospital including a teaching facility for surgeons as "Wundärzte II. Klasse". Geheimrat Dr. W. Hagedorn has been the outstanding personality of the 19th century whereas Prof. Dr. Max Biebl is regarded the same for the 20th century. The hospital "Sudenburger Krankenhaus" was founded in 1891. Since 1954 it developed by Prof. Dr. W. Lembcke into an academic teaching hospital. As "Center of Surgery" it is today part of the medical faculty of the university of Magdeburg.