Max Thorek (10 March 1880 – 25 January 1960) was a Hungarian-American surgeon, best known for founding the International College of Surgeons in 1935 and writing his autobiography entitled A Surgeon's World in 1943.[1][2]
Max Thorek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 March 1880 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | 25 January 1960 (aged 79) Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Burial place | Rosehill Cemetery |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Spouse |
Fannie Unger (m. 1905) |
Early life and education
editMax Thorek was born in Budapest, where his father was a physician in a small town.[3] Thorek's preparation for university training began in Budapest but was interrupted when his younger brother was killed in a pogrom and the family emigrated to Chicago, where he attended the University of Chicago.[4] He completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in 1904.[3] Thorek later worked in obstetrics, general, and reconstructive surgery.[1]
He married Fannie Unger in Chicago on 16 April 1905.[3]
In 1954, he founded the International Museum of Surgical Science in a Chicago Gold Coast mansion,[4] and was the founder of Thorek Memorial Hospital, as of 2019 still in operation in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood.[5]
He became an internationally acclaimed amateur photographer during the pictorialist movement, and author of several books on the subject, including Camera Art as a Means of Self-Expression (1947) and Creative Camera Art (1937).
Death and legacy
editHe died in Chicago on 25 January 1960, and was interred at Rosehill Cemetery.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Group, British Medical Journal Publishing (6 February 1960). "Obituary: Max Thorek, M.D". British Medical Journal. 1 (5170): 431. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.5170.431-b. ISSN 0007-1447. S2CID 220212178.
{{cite journal}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ International College of Surgeons: Past,Present, and Future. Henry Ling Ltd, The Dorsct Press, Dorchester (1995).
- ^ a b c History of Medicine and Surgery, and Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago. Chicago: The Biographical Publishing Corporation. 1922. p. 860. Retrieved 30 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "Max Thorek | American surgeon". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Hospital, Thorek Memorial. "About Us". www.thorek.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.