Max Thorek

American surgeon

  • University of Chicago
  • Rush Medical College
OccupationSurgeonSpouse
Fannie Unger
(m. 1905)

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]

Early life and education

Max 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]

Thorek Mausoleum at Rosehill Cemetery

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

He died in Chicago on 25 January 1960, and was interred at Rosehill Cemetery.[1]

References

  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ International College of Surgeons: Past,Present, and Future. Henry Ling Ltd, The Dorsct Press, Dorchester (1995).
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "Max Thorek | American surgeon". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  5. ^ Hospital, Thorek Memorial. "About Us". www.thorek.org. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

Further reading

  • Fellowship of Surgeons: A History of the American College of Surgeons. Loyal Davis
  • Works by or about Max Thorek at the Internet Archive
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • ISNI
  • VIAF
  • FAST
  • WorldCat
National
  • Germany
  • United States
  • Czech Republic
  • Netherlands
  • Israel
  • Catalonia
Artists
  • ULAN
  • RKD Artists
  • Photographers' Identities
  • National Gallery of Canada
People
  • Trove
Other
  • IdRef
  • SNAC