Learn about the Polish contributions to the development of the theory and practice of medicine and related sciences in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What do these achievements say about Polish scientists? 1800 The first Polish chemistry textbook Its author was Jędrzej Śniadecki, who made a huge contribution to the creation of Polish chemical terminology. He claimed in his works, published in Vilnius where he lectured at the university, that biochemical processes are the essence of life. His definition of life – as groundbreaking as Copernicus’s discoveries – was ahead of his contemporary researchers for more than 100 years. The illustration shows the cover of the first of two volumes of Śniadecki's most important, groundbreaking work., 1859 Tytus Chałubiński, head of the therapeutic clinic Tytus Chałubiński was a professor and the head of the therapeutic clinic in the newly opened Medical-Surgical Academy (later the Faculty of Medicine at the Warsaw Main School, created in place of the Royal University of Warsaw which was closed after the November 1830 Uprising). He was a great practitioner as well as a scholar, with great achievements also in the field of botany. Beside that, he went down in history as the discoverer of the beauty of the Tatra Mountains., 1883 The liquefaction of the air components The Academy of Sciences in Paris received a sensational telegram. In distant Cracow, two Polish scientists – for the first time worldwide – liquefied the components of air, oxygen and nitrogen. They were professors at the Jagiellonian University, Karol Olszewski and Zygmunt Wróblewski. Soon after that Wróblewski lost his life in his laboratory due to an accident. Karol Olszewski, who had continued the research for many years, is called the father of cryogenics. The modern-day common availability of achieving low temperatures finds its application in a number of branches of industry, in astronautics, and medicine., 1897 Biernacki reaction Edmund Biernacki, a doctor and philosopher of medicine, was the first to observe the relationship between the rate at which corpuscles fall within blood plasma and the general condition of the organism. The so-called Biernacki reaction (ESR test) allowed to detect abnormalities in a fairly simple blood test.., 1912 Maria Skłodowska-Curie initiates the construction of the Radium Institute in Paris In 1932, thanks to her efforts, a similar institute was opened in Warsaw in the then independent Poland. As the first woman in the world she obtained the title of Doctor of Science, and what is more, twice. She also won the Nobel Prize twice: in 1903 in physics, together with her husband, Pierre, for the separation of radium; in 1911 – alone – in chemistry. She was the co-originator of the science of radioactivity. With her discoveries, she initiated a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. She is considered a symbol of the emancipation of women. In the illustration – a Nobel Prize Diploma confirming the second Nobel Prize, which the already famous scientist was given in 1911., 1911 Discovery of vitamins Biochemist Kazimierz Funk isolated an important substance and went down in history as the discoverer of vitamins. It was a historic discovery. The name "vitamin", invented by him, entered most European languages. In a work published a year later, he described the role of vitamins and the impact of their lack on the occurrence of many diseases, including scurvy and rickets. He also conducted research on hormones, insulin isolation, and the causes of cancer. Like Skłodowska, he lived and worked on emigration in France, and after Poland regained independence he returned to the country. During that time in Warsaw, a new center of scientific research was created – the National Institute of Hygiene. After a dozen or so years, he emigrated again.