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Memoir of professor Edward RUŻYŁŁO |  |  |  |
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Janusz Stefan Wasyluk Memoir of professor Edward RUŻYŁŁO (1909 - 2009) Professor Edward Rużyłło, a specialist in internal medicine, a scientist, an organiser of health care, a great patriot and an educator for a few generations of doctors died on 16th February 2009. Professor senior medical doctor Edward Emil Rużyłło was born in 1909 in Kościaszyn in a former Lviv district. After regaining independence by Poland in 1918 comes to Warsaw and here, as a student of a Polish school, experiences together with the whole Polish society another threat to the country's freedom during the Polish-Soviet War. "This threat and the victory of Polish Army in 1920 formed my patriotic attitude and the belief that everybody must do their best to make the newly reborn country develop" - he will write in his memories later on. In 1929 he starts medical studies at the University of Warsaw - as an officer cadet at the Sanitary Training Center (Centrum Wyszkolenia Sanitarnego) located in today's Ujazdowski Castle. During studies he is active in setting up the Medics Circle and its later activities, concentrating mainly on self-help actions aimed at for example students endangered with tuberculosis. The Professor often mentioned it in his conversations and publications. After graduation and receiving a diploma in 1935 he starts his first work in Warsaw Ujazdowski Hospital. The Second World War Called up after the outbreak of the war, Edward Rużyłło takes part in fights in the south of Poland in the 24th Infantry Division and then sneaks ("enwrapped in the regiment standard" - according to the record by professor Wit Rzepecki included in his book "A Scalpel Has Two Blades") into Hungary and France, and after its fall to Great Britain. His stay in Scotland is connected with intensive medical work in Polish Armed Forces as well as organisational work and classes at the Polish Medical Department of Edinborough University - created deliberately to educate Polish doctors and directed by a Poznan neurologist professor Jurasz who is its dean at the time. Following the Allies invasion Edward Rużyłło serves in the 1st Armoured Division of general Maczek; then he takes part in a parachute landing of the Independent Parachute Division of general Sosabowski near Arnheim at the back of German forces. After the war Edward Rużyłło comes back to the country to his wife (dr Alina Zawadzka-Rużyłło, a gynaecologist) and son Witold. Postwar period Difficult postwar years come. Edward Rużyłło gets a job at the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Infant Jesus Hospital in Nowogrodzka Street in Warsaw. His second son, Jerzy, is born. Although the authorities of the time look with the suspicious eye at the young ambitious clinician and a newcomer from the West, they appreciate some of his assets: young, handsome, with patriotic past (though the less welcome "western" one) and perfect command of English, married to a highly respected gynaecologist at one of the renowned Warsaw clinics, quickly becomes irreplaceable in all international contacts. In 1951 Edward Rużyłło receives the doctor's degree and three years later the senior doctor's degree. Shortly after that, together with a group of academic professors, initiates creating postgraduate medical studies in Poland, which will become his life's work. Soon he gets the position of the director of the 2nd Internal Medicine Clinic of the Doctors' Development College at Warsaw Medical Academy set up in hospital in Solec. The Professor is very careful in choosing his staff there observing young doctors at work. At the time I was doing the postgraduate internship in Solec hospital and having it finished I received the offer of work in his team. Gradually numerous research institutes are set up within the Clinic: cardiologic, biochemical, endocrinological, thin-layer chromatography, animal quarters. Consequently doctoral, senior doctoral and even professorial degrees come. Working in very difficult conditions we were able to pick up all challenges thanks to energy, organizational talents and motivation of our Boss. He would encourage us to concerted efforts saying such sentences: "The activities of my staff resemble the work of burlaks: when they cannot hear the exhortations and songs their effort grinds to a halt; when the leader's calls get to their ears again they stretch the lines and pull again". "Let's not spare any efforts in the first years of clinical activities because a waterwheel is not going to turn when poured with a mug - it needs a powerful stream!". "Many of us resemble an inflated man who is tired and flat in the morning and needs inflating to gain a suitable posture for a few hours; in the afternoon the air gets out somewhere again." Setting up Post-graduate Medical Education Center (Centrum Medycznego Kształcenia Podyplomowego - CMKP) In 1970 the Professor's dream comes true and an independent medical high school boasting its own statute, impressive professorial staff and a seat in a building in Marymoncka Street in Warsaw is opened. The school, together with medical academies, scientific and research institutes and the net of Regional Medical Staff Development Centers, coordinates the postgraduate training of doctors, dentists and pharmacists in Poland. Edward Rużyłło becomes its first director as well as the head of Gastroenterology Clinic at the Post-graduate Medical Education Center (CMKP) based in the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Mokotów. The former clinic in Solec Hospital is transformed into a City Department; a part of the former Professor's team follows him and moves to the new clinic, and some of them get independent positions - in the school or out of it. A new creative stage of the Professor's life begins with the position of the head of a modern digestive system clinic and the director of a dynamically developing postgraduate high medical school. It means a series of successes and recognition both in the country and abroad. He becomes a honorary member of numerous scientific societies in Poland and in the world, a chairman of the Health Minister's Scientific Council, a member of the National Commission for Qualifying Scientific Staff (Centralna Komisja Kwalifikacyjna Kadr Naukowych). He was a promoter of 29 doctors and a supervisor of 135 internship doctors! His publication include over 300 articles in medical magazines and over twenty monographs and textbooks. An enormous output. Retirement When the Professor retires the high school for postgraduate training of doctors set up by him is still functioning and developing directed by his students and colleagues. In 1980 Professor Edward Rużyłło becomes the Kuwait Health Minister's advisor, leaves the country and holds the function until 1993. I know his activities from that period only from spoken relations and an extensive report which he prepared for the minister. After coming back he devotes to journalistic work concentrating mainly on organising family medicine ("family doctor's institution") and upbringing and educating young generations. He would often call me with a proposition to discuss a medical problem, necessarily with young doctors' assistance. My wife, senior medical doctor Hanna Wasyluk, a medical IT specialist, was also a recipient of his calls and requests to prepare a computer system for organizing family doctors' work. We had a lot of such on the spot meetings participated by young doctors who used to listen to him with deep interest. After the death of his wife Alina he feels very lonely and searches for relief in hard and intensive work. He remains creative and active till almost the last days of his life. He attends meetings of Warsaw Medical Society, Catholic Doctors Society and other organisations. In autumn last year Military Medical Institute published an album called "Jazdów" edited by the Professor and including one chapter by him. The album presents the history of Ujazdowski Castle, where young Edward Rużyłło used to live and study medicine as an officer cadet and with which he is linked by a lot of memories of his youth. In one of his curriculum vitaes he wrote that his hobby was gardening and forming people's personalities. An interesting combination; presumably he really liked working in the garden but more surely his true garden were people. He died on 16th of February 2009 in his flat in Rudawska street in Warsaw and was buried in Powązki Military Cemetery.