[History of teaching of medicine in Gdańsk]

The work has aimed at presenting the history of medicine in Gdańsk comprising the period from the second half on the 16th century up to the present. The most remote stage of the history was connected with the foundation and development of the Academic Gymnasium of Gdańsk (1558) where medicine, general medical sciences and anatomy were taught. Out of those subjects it was the latter that could boast of great achievements owing to famous anatomists lecturing there. It was already in 1613 that the first human dissection was performed in Gdańsk, the dissection being also the first in Poland and in Northern Europe. It was here that in 1722 was published the famous anatomical atlas of Jan Adam Kulmus - 'Tabulae anatomicae' - translated for seven languages, including Japanese. Quite a number of graduates of the Academic Gymnasium, having later completed their higher medical education abroad, were coming back to Gdańsk and carrying out researches, obtaining excellent results. Among them were: Ludwik von Hammen, Izrael Conradt, Placotomus and others. The Gdańsk physicians - Jan Schmiedt (Fabrytius) and Ernest Scheffer were the authors of the first Polish pharmacopoeia (1665). The period from the 18th century up till now has been characterized by great advances in both medical service and hospital management, their crowning achievement being foundation of the Medical Academy in Gdańsk, the first, after the war, independent medical university in Poland.