[Martin Kacprzak (1888-1968)--non omnis moriar].

AIM

The purpose of this study was to present a scientific profile of Professor Martin Kacprzak with particular emphasis on his relationship with national Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw--where he was working for the longest time.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Information derived from documentation from archives of National Institute of Hygiene (NIH), Medical University of Warsaw, magazine titled "Notatki Płockie", UN and WHO records, including records of the International Health Conference held in New York in 1946, and other sources.

RESULTS

Martin Kacprzak was born in peasant family in Mazovia, at that time belonging to Russian Empire (Russian partition). He studied medicine at Sorbonne in Paris. In 1922-1924, as a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, he studied the hygiene and health care organization at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In 1924-1944 worked in State School of Hygiene in NIH as a head of epidemiology and statistics department. After WWII (1945-1952) he served as its director in 1954-1962 he supervised the school hygiene department in NIH. From 1948 to 1965 he worked at Medical University of Warsaw, also as dean of medical faculty (1948-1954) and president (1955-1962). He participated (1946-1948) in preparatory work to establish World Health Organization. In 1957 he was the sixth recipient of prestigious Léon Bernard Foundation prize, which is presented at World Health Assembly. The first recipient in 1951 was prof. René Sand from Belgium, the second in 1952 prof. Charles-Edward Amory Winslow, bacteriologist, not a doctor, author of the first definition of public health. Martin Kacprzak was an honorary member of American Public Health Association. He wrote over 200 articles.