Development of medicine in Lwów (Lemberg, Lviv). Part 1: beginnings and establishment of urology until 1944

Abstract

Innovations in diagnostic techniques due to the introduction of endoscopy and the development of X‑ray technology were fundamental in reducing the dependence on surgery and to recognize urology as anew discipline. Thereafter, endoscopic surgery came to the fore. The aim of this article is to present the development of urology in Lviv as an independent discipline and its distinction from surgery. Well-known Lviv surgeons who were interested in surgery of the urogenital system are discussed. The beginnings of urology and its development within the framework of surgical departments and ultimately as an independent institution in the interwar period are described. The fate of the Polish department of urology in the interwar period and during the Second World War is also described. J.Molendziński, G.Ziembicki, Z.Leńko and S.Laskownicki can be described as the founders of urology in Lviv (Lemberg). Extensive research in archives and libraries in Poland and Ukraine has been undertaken in the preparation of this article.