A neurologist who wrote poetry… Commemorating the 13th anniversary of the death of Stanisław Nowak, D.Sc. Med., the first Editor-in-Chief of “Medical Studies”

Stanisław Nowak (Figure 1) was born in the small village of Kotlice near Kielce on 8 November 1936. He studied at the Medical Faculty of Białystok Medical University between 1957 and 1963. On graduating, he took up employment at the Regional Hospital in Kielce, where he was relatively quickly promoted to Deputy Head of Department. He became Grade 1 specialist in neurology in 1968, earning his Grade 2 diploma in 1971, his doctorate in 1969, and a doctor habilitatus (roughly equivalent to the Doctor of Science) degree in 1977. His main scientific interests included epilepsy, cerebral stroke, cerebrospinal fluid, neurological syndromes in internal diseases, neuroepidemiology, prostaglandins, biochemical tumour markers, causes of neurological disorders, and EEG measurements. It was under his guidance that prostaglandins were first used in Kielce in the treatment of neurological conditions, including ischaemic strokes [1–6]. Dr Nowak also initiated national (Ministry of Health-based) research on late-onset epilepsy. In collaboration with nuclear physicists from Kielce Paedagogical College (now the Jan Kochanowski University), he also conducted early human research on, among others, the determination of trace elements in the cerebrospinal fluid of neurological patients [6, 7]. His articles in specialist journals and participation in numerous conferences in Poland and abroad helped to disseminate his findings, provoke new discussions, and make friends not only within academia, but also socially and in political circles (which was important in terms of the posts he assumed).
His biographical information [2] reveals that he headed the local (treating patients from an administrative region) centre of neurological treatment uninterruptedly for nearly a quarter of a century. During that time, all doctors from the city and region of Kielce specialising in neurology would spend time as interns there, including those who were later to become heads of specialised neurology departments in Końskie, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Staszów, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, or Starachowice. Doctors specialising in other branches of medicine were also traditionally admitted for internships [6]. Dr Nowak adeptly took care of “connections”, collaboration, exchange of experiences and information, both locally, with other departments of the hospital (via mutual patient referrals and exchange of equipment), and with other neurological centres around Poland (offering instruction in novel methods...


View full text...