Eminent gynecologists and obstetricians from Klatovy and surroundings

Overview

There’s hardly any party of Czech Republic (and I‘m not afraid to say, that it is a rarity worldwide), that became the birthplace of so many personalities involved in building the foundation and development of any medical field, as in the case of Klatovy town and its surrounding and gynecology and obstetrics. During the five decades of the nineteenth century in this region were born five individuals, that still more or less unscientifically developing branch of medicine formed in a modern and progressive perfecting medical discipline. Franz Kiwisch (born 1814 in Klatovy), August Breisky (born 1832 in Klatovy), Karel Pawlík (born 1849 in Klatovy), Václav Rubeška (born 1854 in Chudenice) and Václav Piťha (born 1865 in Poleň at Klatovy) are names, that have become known not only in Czech, but also in gynecology worldwide. They were outstanding personalities not only for their medical knowledge and skills, which as respected teachers were able to devolve on their students, but they also excelled extraordinary human qualities.

This article is not to be scientific work, my aim was to remind the genius of these doctors and their contribution to the field of gynecology and obstetrics and add some lesser known facts pertaining to their private life. Many materials are not in this article for their scope and format to publish unfortunately, though at least it is worth mentioning, that still remains as school notebook with notes on history written by his own hand, the original school-leaving certificate or even funeral notice of prof. Karel Pawlík, in the contemporary press the interview with prof. Václav Rubeška too. I hope, that the following lines will be a pleasant change among the scientific ones.

Keywords:
Pawlík, Rubeška, Piťha, Breisky, Kiwisch, Klatovy, origins of gynecology and obstetrics