Life and works of Jovan Andrejevic Joles

Abstract

The first Serbian anatomist Jovan Andrejevic Joles was born in Novi Sad on October 6, 1833 to a priest father. The primary school and the first four grades of the grammar school he finished in Novi Sad, and the seventh and the eighth grades in Timisoara. After finishing grammar school, Andrejevic moved to Pest where he started medical studies in 1853. He continued the studies in Prague and Vienna where he received the diploma of a doctor of medicine. During the studies of medicine, this remarkably educated and talented man demonstrated great interest in science. In his research he came to new findings he published through the report of the Vienna Academy of Sciences in the paper titled 'On the Fine Structure of the Liver' (Ueber den feineren Bau der Leber), making his mentor, professor Ernest von Br?cke, proud. Apart from the scientific work, young Andrejevic also translated literature from German and English. His interests also covered photography, art and aesthetics. He actively participated in the work of the United Serbian Youth, which brought him many problems with the ruling regime of the time. At a very early age, Andrejevic fell down with tuberculosis and had to stop his scientific work and move back to Novi Sad in 1861 where he began working as a physician. Apart from the medical practice, Andrejevic was still in the center of scientific, political, and cultural events. He continued regular correspondence with professor von Br?cke who informed him on the success of his scientific results. Apart from a number of texts and critical writings, together with Jovan Djordjevic, Andrejevic worked hard on the foundation of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad. During 1863, his illness aggravated and he died of tuberculosis on July 21, 1864. The memory of the first Serbian anatomist is kept by the Department of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad where the documentation on his life and works is stored. The ground floor hall of the Faculty of Medicine holds the bust of Jovan Andrejevic.