Jan Mikulicz-Radecki () was a German-Polish-Austrian

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

who worked mainly in the German Empire. He was born on 16 May 1850 in Czerniowce in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

(present-day

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and died on 4 June 1905 in Breslau,

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

(present-day

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

). He was professor in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Breslau, and

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. He was the inventor of new operating techniques and tools, and is one of the pioneers of antiseptics and aseptic techniques. In Poland he is regarded as one of the founders of the Kraków school of surgery.

Life

His parental ancestors of the Mikulicz family were of Polish ''

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

'' origin and had been granted the Gozdawa coat of arms by King

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

after the 1683 Battle of Vienna. His mother Emilie Freiin von Damnitz was of Austrian descent. Mikulicz-Radecki spoke his native German and also Polish, Russian and English fluently. When asked his nationality he simply answered "surgeon". After finishing studies at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

under Theodor Billroth, he was a director of surgery at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

, the University of Königsberg ( Kaliningrad) and from 1890 at the University of Breslau. Mikulicz-Radecki's innovations in operative technique for a wide variety of diseases helped develop modern surgery. He contributed prodigiously to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

surgery, especially on organs of the

digestive system The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller compone ...

. He was first to suture a perforated gastric ulcer (1885), surgically restore part of the

oesophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus ( archaic spelling) ( see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), colloquially known also as the food pipe, food tube, or gullet, ...

(1886), remove a malignant part of the colon (1903), and describe what is now known as Mikulicz’ disease. In 1881, he developed improved models of the esophagoscope and gastroscope. As an ardent advocate of

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

s, he did much to popularize Joseph Lister's antiseptic methods. He created a surgical mask and was the first to use medical gloves during surgery. Mikulicz-Radecki was a talented amateur pianist and a friend of

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

. He received an honorary doctorate ( LL.D) from the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

in June 1901. The German ornithologist Maria Koepcke (born Maria Emilie Anna von Mikulicz-Radecki) and her daughter the German mammalogist Juliane Koepcke, are his descendants.

Associated eponyms

* Heineke–Mikulicz pyloroplasty: reconstruction of the pyloric channel with a longitudinal incision of the pylorus, and suturing the incision transversely. Named along with German surgeon Walter Hermann von Heineke (1834–1901). (Dorlands Medical Dictionary) * Heineke–Mikulicz strictureplasty: one of two procedures commonly employed to relieve fibrotic strictures of the small bowel, the other being Finney strictureplasty. * Mikulicz's cells: Vesicular cells found in the diseased tissue in cases of rhinoscleroma and containing '' Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis''. * Mikulicz's disease: Benign lymphocytic infiltration and enlargement of the lacrimal and

salivary glands The salivary glands in many vertebrates including mammals are exocrine glands that produce saliva through a system of Duct (anatomy), ducts. Humans have three paired major salivary glands (Parotid gland, parotid, Submandibular gland, submandibula ...

. It has often been referred to as benign lymphoepithelial lesion, but is now regarded as a manifestation of IgG4-related disease. * Mikulicz's drain: Process of pushing successive layers of gauze into a wound or cavity. * Mikulicz's enterotome (historical term): A special

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...

developed by Guillaume Dupuytren. An enterotome is used in abdominal surgery. * Mikulicz's mask (historical term): Gauze-covered frame worn over nose and mouth during an operation. * Mikulicz's aphtae : Another name for minor aphtae * Mikulicz's pad (historical term): A gauze-pad used in abdominal surgery * Mikulicz's syndrome: Symptoms characteristic of Mikulicz's disease when occurring as a complication of another disease, such as leukemia or sarcoidosis. * Mikulicz–Vladimiroff operation; also ''Mikulicz–Vladimiroff amputation'' (historical term): resection of the foot in diseases of the talus and calcaneus.

References

External links

* http://www.dbc.wroc.pl/dlibra/collectiondescription?dirids=171 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikulicz-Radecki, Jan 1850 births 1905 deaths German surgeons Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Germany 19th-century Polish nobility University of Vienna alumni Academic staff of Jagiellonian University Academic staff of the University of Breslau People from Chernivtsi People from the Duchy of Bukovina Polish Austro-Hungarians Austrian barons Physicians from Austria-Hungary Polish surgeons

Life

Associated eponyms

See also

References

External links