Akadémia Kiadó

Life and work of Szilárd Donhoffer  - spanning the whole 20th century - well exemplifies the process of transition from a pratical clinician to a theoretical scientist, the first decades of his professional years already showing evidence of a strong research interest and an ability for conceptual synthesis in teaching. A long productive life culminating in his election  to member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences and to president of its Medical Section, consisted of three quarter-of-century periods with different dominant activities. The first period was of a practicing clinician, probably the most renowned doctor in making diagnoses at the Medical School of Pécs in the 40's. This was followed by the second professional quarter of century, when he founded the Department of Pathophysiology and his one-authored voluminous textbook of Pathophysiology was published. He also served as rector of the Pécs Medical School in the 60's. The last 25-year period of his life was of an advisor at his home department helping successors at the chair in all matters by the wast amount of experience he had collected before. The present author - a disciple and co-worker of Professor Donhoffer for about four decades - is acting head of the Department of Pathophysiology at the Pécs University.