Jan Mikulicz-Radecki (1850-1905) – The forgotten surgical genius

In any case, under the direction of Jan Mikulicz the Krakow Hospital developed rapidly and was ultimately considered the best in the Empire. It was also sought out by doctors from Austria who as scholars wanted to deepen their knowledge of surgery. In spite of his high professional standing, Mikulicz was unable to realise his greatest dream of building a new hospital in Krakow. For this reason, he did not hesitate when it was suggested to him that he take up the surgical Chair in Königsberg. He began his appointment in 1887. Behind this decision, however, was also his secret plan to take up the Chair in Berlin or in Vienna in the future. “For him as a Pole, the prospect of such a call was rather slim. However, he believed that such an opportunity would open up to him if he switched to a German university beforehand.”[7] But what Mikulicz had not anticipated was the reaction of the Austrian government to the step he had taken. The Ministry of Science and Culture of the Monarchy informed him that he would never be allowed to return to Austria for work if he should take up the call to work in Königsberg.

At this time, the facilities in the surgical hospital at the Albertus University in Königsberg were better than those in the hospital in Krakow, even if they did not have an operating theatre and the procedures were carried out in the lecture theatre into which the patients were carried. In Königsberg, Mikulicz mainly focused on surgery of the abdominal cavity. He worked among other things on modifying stomach resections and he described symptoms which would later be referred to as Mikulicz syndrome. From a scientific perspective, Mikulicz’s three years in Königsberg were extremely fruitful, but the most important period of his outstanding career was yet to come.

In 1890, Jan Mikulicz was appointed Director of the newly constructed surgical hospital in Wroclaw. However, before he started in this position, he had to sign a declaration of undertaking that he would not leave the Prussian territory for at least five years. At this point, the hospital building, which was being built in line with the latest scientific insights, had not yet been completed. This meant that the new director was able to bring in his own ideas, especially when it came to the operating  theatre. In the years that followed, this was upgraded several times until in 1897 Wroclaw had a completely sterile surgical wing which, at the time, was considered the largest and most state-of-the-art in Europe. Four years later, the hospital, under the direction of the Polish surgeon, was extended to include an orthopaedic department and a physiotherapy room. In 1899, Mikulicz also opened a private hospital which met the latest medical standards.