Theodor Burghele (12 February 1905 – 3 June 1977) was a Romanian

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 ...

and

urologist Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary system and the reproductive organs. Org ...

, titular member and President of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

, and

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

. He was born in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

in an old

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

family, the son of Theodor Burghele and Fenareta, née Stoianovici. He studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

(1922–1928), obtaining in 1929 an MD degree with thesis ''Mycotic splenomegaly''. He then took specialization courses at the Urology Clinic of 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 ...

(1930–1931). Upon returning to Romania, he started working at the surgical and urological clinic led by

Nicolae Hortolomei Nicolae Hortolomei (November 27, 1885 – January 3, 1961) was a Romanian surgeon, director of the Surgery and Urology Clinic at Colțea Hospital in Bucharest, professor at the Faculty of Medicine, titular member of the Romanian Academy, and Minis ...

at , in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. In 1937 Burghele became

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in the Department of Surgery at Colțea Hospital and in 1940 he was promoted to associate professor. In 1941 he was conscripted, and in 1942 he served as doctor in

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

. In 1946, when a urinary tract surgery clinic was set up at Panduri Hospital, he was appointed professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

, and took over the management of the clinic. In 1948, he joined the

Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...

(PCR). From 1957 to 1972 he was rector of the

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy () or University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, commonly known by the abbreviation UMFCD, is a public health sciences university in Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and larges ...

. In 1955 Burghele was elected corresponding member of the

; he became titular member in 1963 and served as President of the Academy from 1976 to 1977. Between 1972 and 1975 he held the position of Minister of Health. From 1972 to 1977 he was an alternate member of the Central Committee of the PCR. In 1964, he was awarded the

Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic The Order of the Star of the Socialist Republic of Romania (), from 1948 to 1965 the Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic (), was the second-highest honor bestowed by the Socialist Republic of Romania (known as the Socialist Republic ...

, 3rd class. Burghele died in Bucharest on 3 June 1977, and is buried at

Bellu Cemetery Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania. It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...

. The Panduri Hospital in Bucharest which he led as director for many years was renamed in 1991, and is now called the "Prof. Dr. Theodor Burghele" Clinical Hospital.

Publications

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burghele, Theodor 1905 births 1977 deaths Physicians from Iași Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni University of Vienna alumni Romanian urologists Romanian medical writers Academic staff of the University of Bucharest Academic staff of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Presidents of the Romanian Academy Ministers of health of Romania Romanian Communist Party politicians Recipients of the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic Burials at Bellu Cemetery