Nicolae Hortolomei (November 27, 1885 – January 3, 1961) was a
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n surgeon, director of the Surgery and Urology Clinic at Colțea Hospital in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, professor at the
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
, titular member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
,
and
Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
.
Education and career
He was born on November 27, 1885, in
Huși
Huși (, Yiddish/ he, חוש ''Khush'', hu, Huszváros, German: ''Hussburg'') is a city in Vaslui County, Romania, former capital of the disbanded Fălciu County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, Romanian Orthodox episcopal see, an ...
,
Fălciu County
Fălciu County was an administrative division of Moldavia (until 1859), then a county ('' judeṭ'') in Romania between 1859 and 1950. Its capital was the town of Huși. Another important town was Fălciu.
History
Fălciu was a land (''ṭinut'') ...
. From 1895 to 1902, he attended the
Costache Negruzzi National College in
Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
, and then studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the
University of Iași
The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University ( Romanian: ''Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"''; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia M ...
. In 1909, he obtained his doctorate in medicine and surgery with thesis ''Congenital absence of the tibia'' written under the guidance of
Ernest Juvara
Ernest Juvara (May 5, 1870, Bârlad, Vaslui County – May 5, 1933, Bucharest) was a Romanian physician, innovative in surgical and instrumental techniques. He was a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Bucharest, with contri ...
. After a brief stint as country doctor in
Oancea
Oancea is a Commune in Romania, commune in Galați County, Western Moldavia, Romania with a population of 1,546 people. It is composed of two villages, Oancea and Slobozia Oancea.
It is also a List of Moldova–Romania border crossings, border c ...
,
Galați County
Galați () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Moldavia region, with the capital city at Galați.
History
Historically Galați is part of Moldavia. In 1858, it was represented by Alexandru Ioan Cuza at the ''ad hoc Divan'' at Iași, in the wa ...
, he joined in 1911 the
genitourinary
The genitourinary system, or urogenital system, are the organs of the reproductive system and the urinary system. These are grouped together because of their proximity to each other, their common embryological origin and the use of common pathw ...
diseases service at Saint Spyridon Hospital in Iași, and then was appointed assistant in the surgical clinic directed by Juvara and, later, by . A few years later Hortolomei went back to Paris for specialization in urology in the clinic of
Félix Legueu. During the
Romanian campaign of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he organized field hospitals in
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
, together with
Iacob Iacobovici
Iacob Melcon Iacobovici (November 18, 1879 – October 9, 1959) was a Romanian surgeon.
Biography
Origins and early career
Born in Costești, Botoșani County, his family were peasants of Armenian origin who had arrived in the Moldavia reg ...
. After the
Union of Bessarabia with Romania
The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. This state had the same borders of the region of Bessarabia, which was annexed by the Russian Empire following t ...
, he was appointed head of the surgery department at the
Gubernial Hospital in
Chișinău
Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...
. In 1920, he became professor of surgery at the
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
of the University of Iași. Among his students there were Vladimir Buțureanu, Gheorghe Chipail, Oscar Franche, and Gheorghe Plăcinteanu.
In 1930, Hortolomei transferred to the
Colentina Hospital in Bucharest, while in 1933 he became director of the surgery and urology clinic at
Colțea Hospital and professor at the
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy. His students included
Theodor Burghele
Theodor Burghele (12 February 1905 – 3 June 1977) was a Romanian surgeon and urologist, titular member and President of the Romanian Academy, and Minister of Health.
He was born in Iași in an old Moldavian boyar family, the son of Theodor ...
, , , and .
From 1939 to 1940, Hortolomei served as Minister of Health in the
Gheorghe Tătărescu
: ''For the artist, see Gheorghe Tattarescu.''
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu (also known as ''Guță Tătărescu'', with a slightly antiquated pet form of his given name; 2 November 1886 – 28 March 1957) was a Romanian politician who served twice as P ...
government. He was elected titular member of the Romanian Academy in 1948.
He was also a member of the French
Académie nationale de chirurgie
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
.
He died in Bucharest on January 3, 1961. The coffin was deposited in the hall of the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the burial took place on January 5, at
Bellu Cemetery
Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania.
It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...
, with military honors. In ''
Contemporanul
''Contemporanul'' (The Contemporary) is a Romanian literary magazine published in Iaşi, Romania from 1881 to 1891. It was sponsored by the socialist circle of the city.
A new magazine ''Contimporanul
''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of ...
'', the poet
Tudor Arghezi
Tudor Arghezi (; 21 May 1880 – 14 July 1967) was a Romanian writer, best known for his unique contribution to poetry and children's literature. Born Ion N. Theodorescu in Bucharest, he explained that his pen name was related to ''Argesis'', th ...
dedicated a ''tablet'' to him, in which he wrote: "Hortolomei closed his eyes in the minute when time passes by, at midnight, in the beginning of the year. I would have been told that he was raising his glass to the health of man and mankind."
Publications
*
*
References
1885 births
1961 deaths
People from Huși
Costache Negruzzi National College alumni
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni
Romanian surgeons
Romanian medical writers
Academic staff of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Academic staff of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Titular members of the Romanian Academy
Burials at Bellu Cemetery
Romanian Ministers of Health
20th-century surgeons
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