Dimitrie Gerota
Encyclopedia
Dimitrie D. Gerota Romania
n anatomist
, physician
, radiologist
, urologist
, and an associated member of the Romanian Academy
from 1916.
, the son of a priest, Dimitrie Constantin Gerota (b. 1841), and of Maria Gerota, née Surpăteanu (b. 1847). He studied at the Carol I High School in Craiova
. In 1886, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bucharest
, graduating with an M.D. degree in 1892. For four years, he pursued his studies in Paris
in Berlin
. After returning to Bucharest
, he started practicing medicine and teaching at various institutions.
Starting in October 1897, he taught anatomy at the National School of Fine Arts in Bucharest. In Fall,1898, he and his student Constantin Brâncuşi
produced the carved muscles anatomical study entitled the Ecorché, based on research done in the dissection room of the Faculty of Medicine and the Museum of Comparative Anatomy. In May 1903, the flayed study was exhibited at the Romanian Athenaeum
; the Society of Students of Fine Arts petitioned Spiru Haret
, the minister of Education and Culture, to acquire it. Since then, generations of Romanian art and medical students have studied anatomy from plaster casts made from the Ecorché.
Considered to be the first Romanian radiologist, Gerota initiated academic radiology education in that country. In 1898, he wrote the book '"The Röntgen Rays or the X-Rays". Some years later, he had to abandon radiology because of radiodermatitis of the hand, which required amputation
.
In 1909, he established a sanatorium
, where he practiced surgery, and carried out charitable work. From 1913, he was a professor of surgical anatomy and experimental surgery at the University of Bucharest
.
In November 1935, he submitted the article "Monarhie cu camarilă sau republică" to the newspaper Universul. The article, highly critical of King Carol II
, was censored, and Gerota was arrested and sent to Malmaison prison in Bucharest. After protests by medical students, he was liberated four days later. He was arrested again in 1936, and sent to Jilava
prison. Set free, he died in 1939 in Bucharest.
and appendix
, and developed a method for injecting lymphatic vessels
known in textbooks as the "Gerota method".
The renal fascia
is sometimes called Gerota's fascia or Gerota's capsule after him. Also, the Albarran-Ormond syndrome (an inflammatory retroperitoneal fibrosis
, named after urologists Joaquín Albarrán
and John Kelso Ormond) is also known as Gerota’s syndrome or Gerota’s fasciitis.
He was a famed surgeon
and the founder of a large Bucharest emergency-care hospital, now named the "Prof. Dr. Dimitrie Gerota Military Hospital", as well as a museum of anatomical-surgical casts of his creation.
A street in central Bucharest (formerly Jean Louis Calderon Street) now bears his name.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n anatomist
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, radiologist
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, urologist
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
, and an associated member of the Romanian Academy
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
from 1916.
Biography
He was born in CraiovaCraiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
, the son of a priest, Dimitrie Constantin Gerota (b. 1841), and of Maria Gerota, née Surpăteanu (b. 1847). He studied at the Carol I High School in Craiova
Craiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
. In 1886, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
, graduating with an M.D. degree in 1892. For four years, he pursued his studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. After returning to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, he started practicing medicine and teaching at various institutions.
Starting in October 1897, he taught anatomy at the National School of Fine Arts in Bucharest. In Fall,1898, he and his student Constantin Brâncuşi
Constantin Brancusi
Constantin Brâncuşi was a Romanian-born sculptor who made his career in France. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris...
produced the carved muscles anatomical study entitled the Ecorché, based on research done in the dissection room of the Faculty of Medicine and the Museum of Comparative Anatomy. In May 1903, the flayed study was exhibited at the Romanian Athenaeum
Romanian Athenaeum
The Romanian Athenaeum is a concert hall in the center of Bucharest, Romania and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's main concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu annual international...
; the Society of Students of Fine Arts petitioned Spiru Haret
Spiru Haret
Spiru C. Haret was a Romanian mathematician, astronomer and politician. He made a fundamental contribution to the n-body problem in celestial mechanics by proving that using a third degree approximation for the disturbing forces implies instability of the major axes of the orbits, and by...
, the minister of Education and Culture, to acquire it. Since then, generations of Romanian art and medical students have studied anatomy from plaster casts made from the Ecorché.
Considered to be the first Romanian radiologist, Gerota initiated academic radiology education in that country. In 1898, he wrote the book '"The Röntgen Rays or the X-Rays". Some years later, he had to abandon radiology because of radiodermatitis of the hand, which required amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
.
In 1909, he established a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, where he practiced surgery, and carried out charitable work. From 1913, he was a professor of surgical anatomy and experimental surgery at the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
.
In November 1935, he submitted the article "Monarhie cu camarilă sau republică" to the newspaper Universul. The article, highly critical of King Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
, was censored, and Gerota was arrested and sent to Malmaison prison in Bucharest. After protests by medical students, he was liberated four days later. He was arrested again in 1936, and sent to Jilava
Jilava
Jilava is a commune in Ilfov county, Romania, near Bucharest. It is composed of a single village, Jilava.The name derives from a Romanian word of Slavic origin meaning "humid place". Jilava was the location of a fort built by King Carol I of Romania, as part of the capital's defense system...
prison. Set free, he died in 1939 in Bucharest.
Legacy
Gerota researched the anatomy and physiology of the bladderUrinary bladder
The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...
and appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
, and developed a method for injecting lymphatic vessels
Lymphatic system
The lymphoid system is the part of the immune system comprising a network of conduits called lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph unidirectionally toward the heart. Lymphoid tissue is found in many organs, particularly the lymph nodes, and in the lymphoid follicles associated...
known in textbooks as the "Gerota method".
The renal fascia
Renal fascia
The renal fascia is a layer of connective tissue encapsulating the kidneys. The deeper layers below the renal fascia are, in order, the perinephric fat , renal capsule, and finally the parenchyma of the renal cortex...
is sometimes called Gerota's fascia or Gerota's capsule after him. Also, the Albarran-Ormond syndrome (an inflammatory retroperitoneal fibrosis
Retroperitoneal fibrosis
Retroperitoneal fibrosis or Ormond's disease is a disease featuring the proliferation of fibrous tissue in the retroperitoneum, the compartment of the body containing the kidneys, aorta, renal tract and various other structures. It may present with lower back pain, renal failure, hypertension, deep...
, named after urologists Joaquín Albarrán
Joaquín Albarrán
Joaquín Albarrán, full name Joaquin Albarrán Maria y Dominguez was a Cuban urologist who was born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba. In 1878 he went to Paris, where he worked and studied under many renowned physicians...
and John Kelso Ormond) is also known as Gerota’s syndrome or Gerota’s fasciitis.
He was a famed surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and the founder of a large Bucharest emergency-care hospital, now named the "Prof. Dr. Dimitrie Gerota Military Hospital", as well as a museum of anatomical-surgical casts of his creation.
A street in central Bucharest (formerly Jean Louis Calderon Street) now bears his name.