[Prof. Kazimierz Lachowicz (MD)--100th anniversary of birthday].

Prof. Kazimierz Lachowicz, MD, Dipl. Medical Microbiology, was the founder and the first Director of the three regional branches of National Institute of Hygiene (NIH),--in Stanisławów (Eastern Poland) (1937-43), now in Ukrainian Ivano-Frankivsk, maritime in Gdynia (1945), now Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, and in Gdańsk (1945-52). In NIH, Warsaw, 1953-75 he directed Intestinal Infection Laboratory of Bacteriological Dept., later founded and directed the National Shigella Centre as one of laboratories co-working with WHO for epidemiological and bacteriological surveillance of infectious diseases in Europe and in the some countries in the world. He was send in 1966-68 as a WHO expert to Ulan Bator to help to organize the modern laboratory service for bacteriological and epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases in Mongolia. All his life he was involved in professional education of staff in practice of medical laboratory service: in Stanislavov, at Microbiological Department of Gdansk University (1950-52) and in post-graduate training courses for Sanitary-Hygiene School at NIH. He was active as a member of International Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Enterobacteriaceae of International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB) of International Association of Microbiological Societies (IAMS). The task was to publish the modern definition of all known bacteria published under different names and modern taxonomical scheme approved by all. For many years he was member of NIH Scientific Council. Held post of deputy Director of NIH (1960-62), Scientific Secretary of the Institute (1964-65), and for many years He was a member of the Editorial Board of "Epidemiological Review" and one of the founders of Polish Association of Epidemiologists and Infectious Diseases Specialists.