Julian Aleksandrowicz
Encyclopedia
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of medicine, a notable specialist on leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. He is known for having developed concepts of comprehensive psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
of persons suffering from somatic
Somatic
The term somatic means 'of the body',, relating to the body. In medicine, somatic illness is bodily, not mental, illness. The term is often used in biology to refer to the cells of the body in contrast to the germ line cells which usually give rise to the gametes...
diseases, as well as of the ecological prevention
Conservation medicine
Conservation medicine is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship between human and animal health, and environmental conditions. Also known as ecological medicine, environmental medicine, or medical geology....
of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and leukaemia.
Aleksandrowicz was of Jewish descent, and after German invasion of Poland (during which he fought in the 72nd Infantry Regiment), he was imprisoned in the Kraków Ghetto
Kraków Ghetto
The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major, metropolitan Jewish ghettos created by Nazi Germany in the General Government territory for the purpose of persecution, terror, and exploitation of Polish Jews during the German occupation of Poland in World War II...
(he managed to bury his research data beforehand and recover them after the war). He founded one of the three ghetto hospitals. While in the ghetto, he was aided by one of the Polish Righteous, Józef Adamowicz
Józef Adamowicz
Józef Adamowicz from Krakow, Poland, was a close friend of Dr. Julian Aleksandrowicz – a world renowned Polish-Jewish scholar on leukemia. After the German invasion of Poland Aleksandrowicz fought in the 72nd Infantry Regiment and subsequently was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Kraków Ghetto...
(who was eventually caught and beaten to death by Nazi guards at the ghetto). Later, in 1943, Aleksandrowicz managed to escape the ghetto and became a physician of the Polish resistance, Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
in the Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
-Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
Independent Jodła Region, under a nom-de-guerre Doktor Twardy. Eventually he became a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
leader. For his participation in the resistance, he would receive the highest Polish military award, the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
medal (as well as other awards, such as the Cross of Merit with Swords and Cross of Valour).
For most of his life, he lived in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. He was an author of many medical texts (including first Polish textbook on hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
), and a professor (since 1951) and a director of the notable Hematology Clinic at the Jagiellonian university medical college
Jagiellonian university medical college
Latin : Universitas Jagellonica Cracoviensis Motto Plus ratio quam vis Established 1364 University Jagiellonian University School Type Public Rector Prof...
(1950–1978).