K Zuba

Publications of K Zuba

• [Apothecaries and pharmacies in the Radziwill family estates in the 18th century]

  Authors: K Zuba

  Kwartalnik historii kultury materialnej. 02/2001; 49(4):345-66.

• [The treatment of "Rybenka": therapies and medical operations on Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł, 1702-1762]

  Authors: K Zuba

  Medycyna nowozytna : studia nad historia medycyny / Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Historii Nauki. 02/2001; 8(1):89-110.

  The present paper discusses and analyses treatment methods and medical care given to the Voivod of Vilnius, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania M. K. Radziwiłł throughout all his life. This analysis is notThe present paper discusses and analyses treatment methods and medical care given to the Voivod of Vilnius, the Grand Hetman of Lithuania M. K. Radziwiłł throughout all his life. This analysis is not representative for the general medicine of the 18th century. M. K. Radziwiłł was one of Poland's richest men of the time and only few aristocrats rich like him could afford similar therapies. The paper is based on unpublished archival sources, such as diaries and correspondence. Radziwiłł was subject to 65 breedings (blood was taken from his leg) which were usually performed in springtime; 30 leech applications (to his haemorrhoids); and he was cupped 13 times. He ws also treated for his bad jaw, broken arm, and received hydrotherapy (drinking water). All in all, the therapies, operations, and medicines preformed and prescribed to him make up a picture of medicine which, according to today's scientific criteria, did more harm than good to the patient. Nonetheless, this does not change the fact that medical care of the time also included treatments which are well evaluated by present-day medical science, such as, for example, recommending comfort and rest to the patients.

• [The physician and his patients: Daniel Boes (about 1662 - about 1727)]

  Authors: K Zuba

  Archiwum historii i filozofii medycyny / Polskii Towarzystwo Historii Medycyny i Farmacji. 02/2001; 64(2-3):127-42.

  In the present article the author presents a forgotten physician from the turn of XVII and XVIII centuries. Daniel Boes had been (probably) up to the year 1696 a physician in ordinary of King Jan IIIIn the present article the author presents a forgotten physician from the turn of XVII and XVIII centuries. Daniel Boes had been (probably) up to the year 1696 a physician in ordinary of King Jan III Sobieski. After the King's death he joined the court of Prince Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, where he performed duties of the physician, and from 1711 he acted as the Prince's resident in Lublin. He performed functions of the town councillor, and in the year 1721 - 1722 he was a chief officer of a group of villages in Lublin. He was an extremely popular physician and had a large number of patients. Among them there were also the highest dignitaries of the Polish Republic, arriving at the Crown Tribunal Sessions in Lublin.

• [Surgeons, attendants and physicians in the estates belonging to the Radziwills in the Nieswiez line in the 18th century]

  Authors: K Zuba

  Medycyna nowozytna : studia nad historia medycyny / Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Historii Nauki. 02/1999; 6(1):77-104.

  The Polish Republic entered the 18th century as a country, which exhibited anachronistic organization of social and economic relations in many respects. For surgery this meant preserving the natureThe Polish Republic entered the 18th century as a country, which exhibited anachronistic organization of social and economic relations in many respects. For surgery this meant preserving the nature of a guild craft, whereas the West European trends moved closer to the area of medicine. The changes in the above state of affairs led to improvement only in the period of the National Education Commission. However, the commenced changes could not cause any significant increase of the level of surgery in the Polish Republic in the 18th century. Although not many facts support the statement that the Radziwills of the 18th century started any activities aiming at increasing the level of surgical care in all the estates, as they focused mainly on their own court, the court surgeons practiced also outside the court. In the 18th century, for the needs of the prince's family a few highly qualified surgeons came from abroad or from the main Polish cities where good surgeons were more available. But the range of duties performed by the Radziwills' surgeons was broader and covered also the activities other than those related to the profession i.e. treatment of wounds, fractures and certain external symptoms of a disease. They frequently entered the area reserved for the physicians. They were usually employed to treat people from lower backgrounds, including courtiers. However, if they treated the members of the prince's family, their role was limited to surgical operations. The findings included in this article, with regard to the availability of surgeons and the quality surgical care in the Radziwills' estates, present two extremities. One of them represents the prince's family and the court who have a team of highly qualified surgeons and attendants, many of whom are foreigners. The other one represents the peasants in the Radziwills' villages who have no access even to attendants. There are no premises to conclude that the Radziwills did anything to ensure the surgical care to the country-folk. The Radziwills' estate which was in many respects governed by separate noble laws was also characterized by a specific nature of medical organization. However, all the weaknesses of inefficient social and economic system were also present in the Radziwills' estates. They were acerbated by inefficient management of such a big estate, which was typical of the Radziwills of the 18th century. The intellectual capacity of the heirs was another impediment to the introduction of new solutions in the area of the surgical organization in the 18th century. The situation in the estates of the Radziwills in the Nieswiez line in the 18th century resulted in focusing the article on the organization of surgical care at the prince's court. However, even if presented from this point of view, they supplement the existing picture of the Polish surgery in the 18th century with the elements which are hardly reflected in the articles published up to this date.

• Not Available

  Authors: K Zuba

  Medycyna nowozytna : studia nad historia medycyny / Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Historii Nauki. 02/1998; 5(1):113-36.