[100 years radical abdominal operation of cervix carcinoma: in memory of Wertheim's predecessors]

1895 was a crucial year in the course of the development of abdominal radical surgery for effective treatment of cervical cancer. In March of 1895, Ries presented the rationale of modern radical hysterectomy and was the first to call for systematic removal of pelvic lymph nodes. Independently, Clark in Baltimore, Rumpf in Berlin, and Latzko in Vienna performed the first radical hysterectomies. This article is dedicated to the memory of the contributions by these four pioneers of surgical gynecology presented in 1895.