Professor Ludwik Rydygier father and legend of Polish surgery.

Ludwik Rydygier is undoubtedly the father of Polish gastrointestinal surgery. He performed two pioneering stomach operations: on 16 November 1880, first in Poland and second in the world after Jules Pean, the surgical removal of the pylorus in a 64-year-old patient suffering from stomach cancer; the operation took about four hours, unfortunately the patient died 12 hours later, and on 21 November 1881 he performed the world's first pylorectomy due to gastric ulcer, applying his own method of pylorectomy followed by the restoration by end-to-end anastomosis of the duodenal stump with the stomach stump; the patient survived the operation and recovered. Three years later, Rydygier introduced a new method of surgical treatment of peptic ulcer disease by means of gastroenterostomy. This review was designed to commemorate the outstanding achievements of Professor Rydygier, who worked at two universities: at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, and at the Lemberg (Lviv) University. He was one of the founders of the Association of Polish Surgeons and an organizer of the first Meeting of Polish Surgeons in 1889. He was the author of over 200 published papers and several text-books on surgical infections, surgical techniques, orthopaedics and traumatology, urology, neurosurgery, and gynaecology. Professor Ludwik Rydygier possessed comprehensive knowledge of surgery and other medical disciplines, he was a courageous surgeon and skilled operator, being at the same time an extremely gifted organizer. His promotion to the rank of General of Polish Army crowned his credits for country's defence. At the anniversary of 90 years after his death, Polish surgeons pay the tribute to their mentor.