Polish Medical Association. Conference for the 25 years of activity

International Medical Conference ‘History of Vilnius’ medicine’, which is devoted to 25 years of activity of the Polish medical community in Lithuania, is taking place in Vilnius. Doctors, members of the Federation of Polish Medical Organizations from the USA, England, Scotland, Germany and other countries as well as doctors and historians from Poland participate in the session.

Polish Medical Association in Lithuania was established in the process of national rebirth in 1989, similarly to the majority of Polish society’ organizations. At the beginning, the organization uniting doctors and nurses acted as the Medical Association beside the Polish Union in Lithuania and since 1993 it performed as a separate community organisation named:  the Polish Medical Association in Lithuania. Now, the organisation unites 115 members. Daniel Lipski is the head of the Association.

In 2015, the Polish Medical Association celebrates 25 years of its activity. One of the crucial events of the jubilee’ year is the International Medical Conference ‘History of Vilnius’ medicine’, devoted to the history of the Vilnius medicine.

The first day of the conference had a more solemn character. It was a presentation of the activity of the organization of the Polish Medical Association in Lithuania and the Federation of Polish Medical Organizations, whose member is the Polish Medical Association in Lithuania. The inauguration’ ceremony was honored by the concert of Zbigniew Lewicki and Ewelina Saszenko.

On Saturday, a session was planned which will focus on the history of Vilnius medicine during the occupation, the interwar period, WWII and the post-war period when many skilled doctors had to leave their home town. Then, they contributed i.e. to the Medical Department of the Medical University in Gdańsk as well as to the Medical University in Białystok. The following persons will be recalled in the papers of the lecturers: Józef Bieliński – the historian of medicine and the deserved researcher of the Vilnius University’s history, professor Kazimierz Pelczar – the founder of Vilnius’ oncology, prof. Kornel Micheida, prof. Wacław Jan Strażewicz, prof. Tadeusz Ginko as well as other great medics having connections with Vilnius. The history of the Medical-Surgery University in Vilnius, the struggles of doctors with XIX century’s epidemics, the beginnings of ophthalmology in Vilnius and the history of the emergency service in Vilnius will be presented.

The conference’ participants will visit the Rasos cemetery. Polish Medical Association in Lithuania takes care of the graves of doctors buried on this historical necropolis.  The Polish medical society already initiated the renovation of one of the graves. In 2014, for the first time, the Polish Medical Association in Lithuania proposed the organization of the collection to renovate the old tombs in Rossa on the Vilnius region’s cemeteries. The outcome of the community’s action surpassed the originators’ expectations: on the 1st November, in a few hours, more than 12 thousand Lithuanian litas were put into the cans.

Based on: : Inf.wł.