[Philosophy of medicine by Ferdynand Karol Dworzaczek]

This paper is devoted to person of Ferdynand Karol Dworzaczek who should be seen as the first Polish physician and philosopher interested in philosophy of medicine. Well educated, with deep interest in theory and practical side of medicine he became first in Poland and very first in Europe to point the importance of philosophical thinking in medicine. His first lecture on this subject--Preface to Philosophy of Medicine, given in Warsaw in 1856, was in fact first lecture in this field ever given in Poland. Year later he published his main work tilted About Philosophy of Medicine in which we can find the core of Dworzaczek's philosophical view on the subject of medicine. His philosophy of medicine could be described as idealistic, with very strong deterministic impact, deeply anchored in religion. Understandably it had to be in opposition to materialism an mechanistic conception of life. For Dworzaczek the nature of life has dualistic character; it has its spiritual and biological significance in the same time, so spirit dominates and shapes biological function of every organism. It can be said, that Dworzaczek's philosophy of medicine was influenced in the first place by Plato and Hippocrates. It had also connection with medical conceptions of Paracelsus and van Helmont. However it was not original and fresh, Dworzaczek's philosophy was important and real background for polish school of philosophy of medicine, which flourished in second half of 19th century. By that Dworzaczek should be traded as father of Polish philosophy of medicine.