Teodor Teofil Matecki (25 April 1810 – 15 May 1886) was a Polish physician, social activist and member of

Poznań Society of Friends of Learning The Poznań Society for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences ( pl, Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, ''PTPN'') is a learned society in Poznań, Poland, established in 1857, of scholars and scientists in all branches of learning. It has ...

. He died in his home town of

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

Early life

Matecki was born in Poznań and educated at the Mary Magdalene High School which was the oldest secondary school in Poznań, founded at the beginning of 14th century. Nevertheless, he decided to quit school in order to take part in the November Uprising. He was awarded for his bravery afterwards but the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n authorities punished him for the participation in the uprising by sentencing him to three months in prison. He achieved a secondary school certificate in 1833 in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

and started his medicine studies at the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

therein. He received the degree of

doctor of medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 1837 and then he fulfilled his

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgra ...

in Berlin. He went to live in Poznań the following year.

Career

He linked his work as a doctor with social, national and political activities. He tried to follow

Karol Marcinkowski Karol Marcinkowski (23 June 1800 in Posen, Kingdom of Prussia, today Poznań in Poland–6 November 1846) was a Polish physician, social activist in the Greater Poland region (also called the Grand Duchy of Posen), supporter of the basic educa ...

by helping the destitute. Meanwhile, he collaborated with an underground movement that was preparing an uprising in Greater Poland. His main task included storing medicaments. He was captured in 1846 and sent to prisons in Poznań, Sonnenburg, Hausvogtei and

Moabit Moabit () is an inner city locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany. As of 2016, around 77,000 people lived in Moabit. First inhabited in 1685 and incorporated into Berlin in 1861, the former industrial and working-class neighbourhood i ...

. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison and a fine but the revolution that took place in 1848 set him free. He established hospitals in

Śrem Śrem (german: Schrimm) is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship. As of 1995, the population of Śrem was 29,800. Śrem i ...

Września Września (german: Wreschen) is a town in west-central Poland with 28,600 inhabitants (1995). It is situated in the Września County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Poznań Voivodeship (1975–1998), on the Wrześnica R ...

and Miłosław (where insurgents were treated). In 1848-1849 Matecki played a significant role in fighting epidemic of cholera. He also engaged himself in helping the wounded later on, especially during the January Uprising over a dozen years later. After the year 1848 he was active as a doctor and popularizer of science. He belonged to a number of scientific associations. He was author of numerous articles concerning medicine as well as chemistry, physics, mathematics and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

Personal life

He was married to Apolonia née Szuman from 1840.

References

* Witold Jakóbczyk, ''Przetrwać na Wartą 1815-1914'', ''Dzieje narodu i państwa polskiego'', vol. III-55, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Warszawa 1989 {{DEFAULTSORT:Matecki, Teodor Teofil 1810 births 1886 deaths Physicians from Poznań 19th-century Polish physicians November Uprising participants People from the Grand Duchy of Posen Poles - political prisoners in the Prussian partition Polish social activists of the Prussian partition