Renowned scientist, pedagogue, and physician Dedicated to the memory of the 110th anniversary of Bronius Sidaravičius’s birth

Abstract

This year we celebrate the 110th anniversary of Bronius Sidaravicius's (1897-1969) birth. He was a renowned Lithuanian dermato-venereologist, professor, head of the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases at Vytautas Magnus University (1935-1946, 1956-1969), the founder and the chair of the Lithuanian Society of Dermato-venereologists, coeditor of the prewar journal "Medicina." He is an author of more than 100 articles and the very first course book on dermato-venereology in Lithuanian. He completed a part of his medical studies at universities in Germany. In Vienna University (1930), B. Sidaravicius performed clinical and experimental studies on the passive transmission of skin allergy, which had a major impact on the diagnostics of allergic skin diseases and specific desensibilization. He published the results of his study in the foreign literature and in the doctoral dissertation "Skin allergy and its treatment" in 1931. Thanks to the efforts of B. Sidaravicius and his colleagues, a progressive Law on Control and Prevention of Venereal Diseases was enacted in Lithuania. According to this Law, examinations and treatment of venereal diseases became compulsory and free of charge at state- or municipality-financed venereal outpatient units. This article was prepared on the basis of primary sources: protocols of the Council (the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Lithuania; since 1930 - Vytautas Magnus University) kept at the Museum of the History of Lithuania Medicine and Pharmacy as well as documents preserved at the Lithuanian State Archives and also scientific journals and periodicals both in Lithuanian and foreign languages.