Professor J.G. Koritké (1928-1996)

Abstract

Professor Jean-Georges Koritke was born at Strasbourg on 17 July 1928. He was a member of that generation of Alsatians who had their primary schooling in French, their secondary education in German and their higher education in French. After his matriculation in 1946 he hesitated between the Conservatoire of Music and the Faculty of Medicine. He opted for medicine and enrolled at the PCB in October of 1946. In the first year of the medical course he was taught anatomy by the Dean Andre Forster, and by Professor Georges Winckler, teachers whose research was directed towards functional and comparative anatomy. When Koritke was in his second year, Professor Philippe Bellocq returned from Lille to Strasbourg. The exceptional teaching (medico-surgical topographic anatomy) and pedagogic talents of Philippe Bellocq greatly impressed the young student. Koritke’s anatomic career can be outlined as follows. In 1950 he became a demonstrator of anatomy as well as a hospital extern (1950-1954), and then successively Assistant, Senior Tutor (1955) and Associate Professor of the Faculties of Medicine (1958, at the age of 30); he was appointed at Besancon (1958) and at Strasbourg (1960), becoming untenured Professor in 1960. He was appointed titular Professor of Anatomy at Strasbourg on March 1, 1966, replacing Professor Pierre Meyer after the latter’s premature death. He was formally installed as titular Professor of Normal Anatomy, Biologist to the Hospitals and Head of Department from 1967 to 1993. He continued his university activities until August 1994. He died on 1 August 1996.