Marko Gerbec (24 October 1658 – 9 March 1718; Latinized: ) was a

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...

n physician and scientist, notable as the founder of modern medicine among the Slovenes and for the first description of

Adams–Stokes syndrome Stokes–Adams syndrome or Adams–Stokes syndrome is a periodic fainting spell in which there is intermittent complete heart block or other high-grade arrhythmia that results in loss of spontaneous circulation and inadequate blood flow to the bra ...

. It was published in 1717 and, 44 years after its publication, it was quoted by Giovanni Battista Morgagni.

Early life and education

Marko Gerbec was born in

Šentvid pri Stični Šentvid pri Stični ( or ; german: Sankt Veit''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 102–103.) is a settlement in the Municipality of Iva ...

(then part of the Duchy of Carniola, now in Slovenia) to the family of a

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

. After graduating from the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

college in Ljubljana (Laibach), he studied with the help of a government scholarship—first philosophy in Laibach (now Ljubljana), then medicine in Vienna. Just a few days before the

arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...

of the Ottoman Army at Vienna in 1683, he left the city for Padua. He finished his studies in 1684 at Bologna. One of his professors there was Marcello Malpighi.

Work and recognitions

Gerbec was an internationally recognized physician. In 1688, he became a member of the German '' Academia Cesarea Leopoldina''. In 1693, he was among the founders of the ''

Academia Operosorum Labacensium The ''Academia Operosorum Labacensium'' (Academy of the Industrious Residents of Ljubljana)—a forerunner of the modern Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts—was founded in Ljubljana in 1693 as an association of 23 scholars. Most of the member ...

'' in Ljubljana. This was the first scientific academy in the territory of what is now Slovenia. From 1712 to 1713, he was its president. In 1712, he also founded the first scholarly society of physicians and surgeons in Carniola, named the

College of Saints Cosmas and Damian A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...

(Slovenized: ''bratovščina sv. Kozma in Damjana''). As member of the ''nobilis forolensis'', Gerbec is described on a memorial tablet at Padua.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerbec, Marko 1658 births 1718 deaths Carniolan physicians Carniolan scientists People from the Municipality of Ivančna Gorica Physicians from the Holy Roman Empire