Karl Pawlik (12 March 1849,

Klattau Klatovy (; german: Klattau) is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Klatovy is made up of 30 ...

– 7 September 1914,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

) was an Austro-Hungarian

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

and

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

, and surgery at

Vienna General Hospital The Vienna General Hospital (german: Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien), usually abbreviated to AKH, is the general hospital of the city of Vienna, Austria. It is also the city's university hospital, and the site of the Medical Univer ...

as a pupil of

Theodor Billroth Christian Albert Theodor Billroth (26 April 18296 February 1894) was a German surgeon and amateur musician. As a surgeon, he is generally regarded as the founding father of modern abdominal surgery. As a musician, he was a close friend and conf ...

. He obtained his medical doctorate in 1873, and from 1877 served as assistant to Karl von Braun-Fernwald at the university women's hospital. In 1881 he received his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...

, and several years later was named head of the department of obstetrics at the Vienna General Polyclinic. From 1887 to 1913 he was a professor at the University of Prague. In August 1889 he performed the first successful

cystectomy Cystectomy is a medical term for surgical removal of all or part of the urinary bladder. It may also be rarely used to refer to the removal of a cyst. The most common condition warranting removal of the urinary bladder is bladder cancer. Two mai ...

on a patient suffering from

papillomatosis Papillomatosis of skin is skin surface elevation caused by hyperplasia and enlargement of contiguous dermal papillae.Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelso; Abbas, Abul (2004) ''Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease'' (7th ed.). Saunders. Page 1230. . ...

of the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...

. He is also credited for introducing operations for cancer of the

cervix uteri The cervix or cervix uteri (Latin, 'neck of the uterus') is the lower part of the uterus (womb) in the human female reproductive system. The cervix is usually 2 to 3 cm long (~1 inch) and roughly cylindrical in shape, which changes during ...

and for

urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. It has been identified as an important issue in geria ...

. In addition, he introduced a method for freehand

catheterization In medicine, a catheter (/ˈkæθətər/) is a thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. Cath ...

of the

ureters The ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In a human adult, the ureters are usually long and around in diameter. The ureter is lined by urothelial cells, a type of transitional epith ...

and was a pioneer of direct-vision air

cystoscopy Cystoscopy is endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra. It is carried out with a cystoscope. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The cystoscope has lenses like a telescope or microscope ...

. The eponymous "Pawlik's folds" are defined as anterior columns of the

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

forming the lateral boundaries of "Pawlik's triangle" (vaginal trigone of Pawlik).

Published works

* ''Zwei Fälle von Sectio caesarea mit Exstirpation des Uterus'', 1879 – Two cases of

caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

with extirpation of the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The uter ...

. * ''Über das Sondieren der Ureteren der weiblichen Blase aus freier Hand ohne vorbereitende Operation'', 1881. * ''Über die Operation der Blasenscheidenfisteln'', 1882 – On an operation for

vesicovaginal fistula Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) is a subtype of female urogenital fistula (UGF). Presentation Vesicovaginal fistula, or VVF, is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder ('' vesica'') and the vagina that allows the continuous involu ...

. * ''Zur Frage der Behandlung der Uteruscarcinome'', 1882 – On treatment for uterine cancer. * ''Exstirpation des Uterus und des Beckenzellgewebes'', 1889 – Extirpation of the uterus and pelvic subcutaneous tissue. * ''Über Blasenexstirpation'', 1891 – On bladder extirpation.Pawlik, Karel (1849-1914), Geburtshelfer und Gynäkologe
at

Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 The ''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950'' (''ÖBL''), ''Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815-1950'', is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Austria, published by the Austri ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pawlik, Karl 1849 births 1914 deaths People from Klatovy University of Vienna alumni Academic staff of Charles University Physicians from Austria-Hungary