In memoriam of the late Professor Stanisław Woyke
(1928-2009)
“Lives of great men are the best lessons for everyone”
(Seneca)
Prof. Woyke was born on 18th January 1928, in Malenin, close to Tczew, Poland. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Medical University in Poznań in 1951. On the basis of his dissertation “Observations on histological diagnosis of neuromas” the Faculty of Medicine of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin awarded Him the degree of Ph.D. “summa cum laude”. His habilitation thesis was devoted to experimental tumours of nerve fibers. In 1972, he was appointed an associate professor and in 1979 he became a full professor. Ever since his graduation he worked in the Department of Pathological Anatomy (led by Professor Kazimierz Stojałowski). He was the head of the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy at the Institute of Biostructure of the Pomeranian Medical University (1970-1983), the head of the Laboratory of Clinical Cytology of the Department of Pathological Anatomy of the Institute (1975-1980) and the head of the Department of Tumor Pathomorphology of the Pomeranian Medical University (1983-1991). Between 1972 and 1978 he served his university as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Additionally, for several years he was the curator of the Student Scientific Association and the regional consultant in oncology. Together with Professor W. Olszewski he organized Laboratory of Cytology at the Kuwait Cancer Centre in Kuwait. Between 1976 and 1977 he was the president of the European Federation of Cytology Societies and in 1975 he received Alfred Jurzykowski Prize awarded by the Polish Scientific Institute in New York.
Professor Woyke was probably the only Pole who decided to become a Solidarity trade union member at a public meeting after the organization had been made illegal. On Monday, following the introduction of martial law in Poland, during a meeting of several hundred Solidarity members – employees of the 1st Clinical Hospital of the Pomeranian Medical University – he asked to be registered as a member of Solidarity trade union, what at that time was an act of great courage. During the first months of the martial law in Poland he was suspended from the position of the head of the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy and the member of the Senate of Pomeranian Medical University, where he was an elected representative of the Faculty of Medicine.
Professor Woyke focused his research interests on pathomorphology of tumours and in particular on their histopathology, cytological diagnosis and ultrastructure. He was always striving to improve methods of early and effective diagnosis of cancer as the easiest way of efficient treatment. The scientific career of Professor Woyke is characterized by a steady methodological improvement, creativity in finding new research directions and skilful joining of theoretical analysis with practical applications. Owing to this fact, most papers published by Professor Woyke deal with the development and application of new methods and diagnostic criteria useful in practical pathomorphological diagnosis of cancer. Saint Bernard said, while characterizing scholars, “There are (those), who want to know in order to do good towards their fellow brothers and this is sagacity”. In this sense, Professor Woyke was, without doubt, a sagacious person. His constant worry was to ensure that our research does have a practical aspect, that through early and precise diagnosis we are helping patients. He was the author and co-author of more than 200 papers published in prestigious scientific journals both in Poland and abroad, 6 monographs and 5 chapters in monographs and academic handbooks. Four of these monographs were the milestones in modern Polish cytological diagnostics of cancer and for many years they were the essential element of education of generations of Polish cytopathologists.
After his return from a 12-month fellowship at Memorial Hospital in New York (1959/60), where he was the fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation learning from Professor Leopold G. Koss – the second, after G. Papanicolaou, cytopathologist worldwide – Professor Woyke organized a centre of cancer cytodiagnostics at the Department of Pathological Anatomy of the Pomeranian Medical University, where he managed to introduce exfoliative cytodiagnosis of lung, stomach and cervical cancer, body fluids, and later a fine needle aspiration biopsy. Besides pioneering scientific papers published both in Poland and abroad he also wrote several monographs published by PZWL (National Medical Publishing House), including; “Cytological diagnosis of lung cancer” (1967), “Selected branches of cytological diagnosis” (together with K. Marlicz, W. Domagała, J. Wagner and L. Frycz) (1973), “Aspiration biopsy in cytological diagnosis” part I (1979) and part II (1982) (together with W. Olszewski).
Professor Woyke introduced in Poland modern cytological diagnosis of cancer as well as fine needle aspiration biopsy long before the medical society not only in Poland, but also abroad realized its significance in cancer diagnosis. He was the co-author (together with L. G. Koss and W. Olszewski) of one of the world’s best monographs on fine needle aspiration biopsy (Aspiration Biopsy. Cytologic Interpretation and Histological Bases, N.Y. 1984, 2nd edition 1992).
Professor Woyke was an international authority in the field of cancer cytodiagnosis. He was continuously striving to popularize this significant diagnostic method both at home and abroad through publishing scientific papers, monographs, through delivering lectures at many scientific congresses and last, but not least, through educating generations of cytopathologists at the courses organized in Szczecin.
Professor Woyke created at the Pomeranian Medical University a modern centre of histopathology, cytopathology and ultrastructural studies of cancer and gathered a team of research-oriented pathologists who can, without doubt, be called Professor Woyke’s school. For many years Professor Woyke led and inspired this team of outstanding pathologists, including Professor Maria Chosia, Professor Jan Lubiński, Professor Elżbieta Urasińska (in Szczecin), Professor Włodzimierz Olszewski (now in Warsaw), Professor Bogdan Czerniak (now in Houston) and Associate Professor Wojciech Gorczyca (in New York). I was also lucky enough to work in Professor Woyke’s team, knowing very well that to be a disciple of such Master and Teacher as Professor Stanisław Woyke is an undeserved privilege.
Professor Kazimierz Stojałowski while reviewing Professor Woyke’s scientific achievements gave this description: “... he is one of my most talented colleagues, whose diligence and profound knowledge with an early determination about the direction of his development helped the institute I am the head of to become one of the most active Departments of Pathological Anatomy in Poland – and one of those known abroad”.
Professor Woyke was a person entirely devoted to microscopic diagnosis of cancer. He spent most of his life bending over a microscope or studying monographs and scientific papers. Even when retired, he regularly came to work three times a week or even more often when necessary. He helped his younger colleagues and consulted difficult cases while teaching them histopathology and cytolopathology. He was the virtuoso of the microscope. I will say even more - he was the wizard of microscopic diagnosis, because he saw under a microscope in tissues and cells things others did not or could not see and thus he was able to precisely set the diagnosis. Professor Bogdan Czerniak from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, wrote in his letter of condolence: “His diagnostic skills were legendary, have helped many generations of physicians to manage their patients and are a difficult act for his students to follow”; while Professor Leopold G. Koss from New York says in his letter: “He will always be remembered as an outstanding scientist, diagnostician and faithful friend. May he rest in peace!”.
Although Professor Woyke was an outstanding teacher always friendly to students and his younger colleagues, he always remained modest and righteous. A student survey conducted in 1976 made him “The Best Dean of all Faculties of Medicine in Poland”. He promoted eight Ph.D. students, three of whom later became professors of pathology. Owing to his charisma, after only two pathology lectures he delivered, together with W. Olszewski we decided (then 3rd year students) to ask him whether we could attend the meetings of the Student Scientific Club. And this is how our long-lasting friendship and collaboration began. Professor Wojciech Gorczyca writes from New York in his letter of condolence: “In my case it only took a couple of classes and lectures delivered by our Professor to change my dreams about surgery into a new passion for pathomorphology, which thanks to Him has lasted to this very day”. This is what kind of a teacher Professor Woyke was!
A modest man – he never wanted anything for himself. As a Polish poet, Leopold Staff, put it:
“... Never was I tempted by statues of bronze,
Loud trumpets or rounds of applause.
What is left of me is but an empty room
and quiet, silent fame.”
Professor Woyke was a truly exceptional man. When he passed away, an era ended in our lives, in the history of the Pomeranian Medical University and in the development of oncological cytology in Poland, but this grain of knowledge sowed by him will bear fruit in the future and he will always remain in our hearts and minds.
In the last phase of his arduous life Professor Woyke battled hard and bravely against an incurable disease, which attacked him in the prime of his life, when he was still at the peak of his intellectual abilities. It was then when he gave us a lesson of how to live and not lose one’s spirit when there is no hope for improvement. Or quite the contrary, when it is certain that the future would be more and more difficult, because the advancement of the disease cannot be stopped. And then the man who owing to his precise diagnosis gave hope to be cured to thousands of patients now had to face a disease whose precise diagnosis meant no chance of any successful treatment.
Dear Professor! You left a little bit of yourself in every one of us and then you passed away having obtained the last rites of Catholic Church. You have gone where there is no pain, intubation, tracheotomy and respirators, where there are no incurable neoplastic and neurological diseases, where even a microscope is not necessary, where there is only joy and happiness standing face to face with the Father. Farewell! Our beloved Master and Teacher!
Wenancjusz Domagala
