In memoriam Janusz A. Indulski
(1930-1999)
CEJOEM 1999, Vol.5. No.3-4.:199-200
Janusz A. Indulski, co-editor of this Journal since its foundation, the outstanding
scientist and apt manager died on August 3, 1999 aged 69.
Educated in medicine at the Pomeranian University Medical School in Szczecin
(Poland), Indulski received his MD in 1955. His scientific career also commenced in
Szczecin at the Department of Human Biology, but at the same time having the charge
of Chief Medical Officer of the harbor he faced problems of health sciences soon.
This new field of interest put him on the way of appropriate postgraduate trainings.
In 1959-1961 he studied public health in the Semashko Institute for Advanced Studies
in Health Care Organization (Moscow). Having returned home, he continued his postgraduate
studies in health care planning and organization at the Warsaw Center for Postgraduate
Training (1962) and in hygiene and epidemiology at the Military Medical School of
Lodz (1965). The series of postgraduate studies ended with a course of social medicine
in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1970-1971). His experience
was also enriched by his numerous visits and research stays at various scientific
institutes in Europe and America. In the mean time, he obtained his PhD degree (1962)
and DSc degree (1965) from the Military Medical School of Lodz.
Indulski was a loyal resident of Lodz for the past 40 years. In 1959, he started
as the director of the municipal Department of Health and Social Welfare, but soon he
affiliated himself with the University Medical School of Lodz where he became full
professor in 1974. He was the founder of the Department of Social Medicine and remained
its chairman till 1977. For six years he was the Vice-Rector for research of the
University. From 1977 until his death, he managed as its director the Nofer Institute
of Occupational Medicine and was at the same time professor of epidemiology and
occupational medicine. For his services rendered, Lodz presented the freedom of the
city to him.
He was a renown expert of occupational health and medicine in the international
medical relations, too. First in 1964, he was invited as a temporary consultant to
the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in Geneva, and then he served as
adviser of 69 Technical Meetings in 24 countries. He spent several years in many
developing countries as WHO Consultant.
Indulski was also met with great recognition by the professional and scientific
communities. Beyond the societies of his own country in which he was founder, president
or honorary president as that of the Polish Associations of Social Medicine, of
Occupational Health and of Public Health, he was Board Member of the International
Commission of Occupational Health and of MEDICHEM Occupational Health in Chemical
Industry (Basel, Switzerland), member of American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists, American Public Health Association, and Association for Health Services
Research (Washington, DC). He was elected to be member of the Russian Academy of
Medical Sciences, honorary member by the Hungarian, Czech and Russian Societies of
Hygiene and Occupational Health. He was Honorary Fellow of Faculty of Occupational
Medicine, Royal College of Physicians (London), and fellow of Collegium Ramazzini
(Milano-Carpi, Italy).
His literary activity as well deserved appreciation: he published over two hundred
scientific papers, more than half of them being original ones. He took his share of
the editorial work at scientific periodicals, too. He was the editor-in-chief of a
polish bimonthly journal (Medycyna Pracy) and of an international quarterly (Internat.
J. Occupat. Med. Environ. Health) and board member of several scientific journals in
Europe and USA.
Equally important was his skill as a manager, shown over the decades he wisely
and compassionately directed the Nofer Institute. He was a leader and teacher of the
first rank. Under Indulski's guidance almost seventy young scientists have obtained
their degrees (MD, PhD, DSc): he developed a reputable school of science. So far, this
school has also yielded twelve full professors. His co-workers esteemed it as an honor
and privilege to have the opportunity of working with him. He was a man of irreproachable
character who maintained high standars in both science and human behavior. At the same
time, he was not a narrow-minded specialist. He was fond of classical music, he liked
to play chess, he had a large collection of books about the history of World War II,
and he was pleased to hike in the Polish forests. He was at the same time an outstanding
scientist and an amiable man. Those of us who were privileged to have known him have
lost a good friend and colleague.
Attila Mitsányi
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