Jan Janowicz – A pioneer of surgery in Olsztyn

Jan Janowicz was born in 1893 in Giełuta. After arriving in Olsztyn in 1945, he began the process of establishing a surgical department in Olsztyn. In a short time, he set up hospital wards and outpatient clinics, which provided surgical care to the inhabitants of Olsztyn and Olsztyn voivodeship. Due to the lack of specialist staff, he was simultaneously the head of department at three hospitals in Olsztyn. On his initiative and under his supervision, independent departments of orthopedics, pediatric surgery, urology, and thoracic surgery were established. Jan Janowicz, as a pioneer in Olsztyn’s surgery and the founder of new departments, became the most important and most distinguished surgeon in the post-war history of medicine of Warmia and Mazury. Aim The aim of the study is to present the biography of Jan Janowicz, the pioneer and most distinguished surgeon of Olsztyn and the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship. Material and methods The study is based on the available literature as well as the authors’ own research. Results and discussion We present a biography of Jan Janowicz, a pioneer of Olsztyn’s medicine. Conclusions Doctor Janowicz, who came to Olsztyn in 1945, was a pioneer and the first person to organize surgical care in what is now the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. His activities led to the establishment of independent departments of pediatric surgery, orthopedics, urology, and thoracic surgery.