On January 24, 1862, Jagiellonian University professors and members of the Natural Sciences Department of the Kraków Learned Society passed a resolution which called for the establishment a new medical journal, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review. It was supposed to be a weekly publishing the latest achievements of medical sciences and practice, case reports from clinics and hospitals, notable excerpts from academic lectures, reviews and summaries from foreign medical books and journals, bibliographical chronicles, and news on the current activities of the Natural Sciences Department of the Kraków Learned Society. The first editorial board was comprised of Professors Antoni Bryk, Józef Dietl, Karol Majer, and Fryderyk Skobel. The fifth member was Doctor Michał Zieleniewski. A while later, professor of the history of medicine Józef Oettinger joined, too. In 1867, Professors Maurycy Madurowicz and Lucjan Rydel also became members.

The opening editorial text, entitled Prospect, clearly defined the journal’s expectations and hopes: “Kraków Scientific Society, wishing for the effective development of its activities for the benefit of science and the country in the spirit of the law governing it . . ., has decided to publish a weekly journal devoted exclusively to medical subjects and those related to other natural sciences that would be of direct benefit to them.”

From the very beginning, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review strived to maintain a high substantive level of the published texts and, reading them today, we can confirm that the editors managed to meet this goal. On the other hand, the journal was struggling financially due to a small number of regular subscribers. Nevertheless, the idea of the journal fulfilling an integrating role for the entire Polish medical community was not abandoned.

In 1872, when the Academy of Arts and Sciences replaced the Kraków Learned Society, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review was already in the hands of Stanisław Janikowski and Bolesław Lutostański, who became its owners and editors. In the preface to the first issue of 1872, Janikowski and Lutostański emphasized that Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review remained a general medical journal, not favoring any particular branch of medical science or art. At the same time, however, they were defining the nature of modern medicine, primarily dedicated to “clinical perception and experience” based on “strict examination of the patient with the use of methods provided by physical and chemical diagnostics,” grounded in “pathological anatomy, pathology, and experimental pharmacology.” Janikowski and Lutostański added the following wording to the subtitle of the journal: “with the participation of Professors of the University of Kraków and hospital and practical physicians,” which expressed their intention to integrate the entire medical community. However, despite efforts and plans, the project soon exceeded their economic possibilities. A short note published in the last issue of December 28, 1872 informed that from January 1, 1873, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review was to become the property of the Kraków Association of Physicians and the Society of Galician Physicians in Lviv. Janikowski was still its editor-in-chief. Working together with Lutostański, he managed to ensure a rapid development of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review in a relatively short time. Both the scope of the topics and the number of articles expanded. At the end of 1876, it was decided to leave the journal solely in the hands of the Kraków Association of Physicians, but in June 1880, after long discussions, an agreement was reached with the Society of Galician Physicians in Lviv, which resulted in its continued participation in the journal’s everyday tasks.

In 1877, the position of editor-in-chief was given to the professor of forensic medicine, Leon Blumenstok-Halban. He remained on post until 1892. This period was sometimes named “the first golden years.” Indeed, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review recorded a significant increase not only in the number of subscribers, but also the number of authors, making it the leading journal for physicians in Galicia and one of the leading medical journals in Poland. This direction of development was maintained and strengthened by subsequent editors-in-chief, Professor Stanisław Domański and Professor August Kwaśnicki. Even though Domański held the post only for 4 years, he saw the need for scientific study of all medical problems while permanently considering their usefulness for practical medicine, encouraging authors to write texts that would fulfill these goals. He referred to Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review as a scientific journal. Kwaśnicki maintained the very same course.

In January 1906, Professor Stanisław Ciechanowski became editor-in-chief and remained on post until 1921. In this time, the journal represented not only the Kraków Association of Physicians and the Society of Galician Physicians in Lviv, but also the Polish Medical Society in Chicago, and from 1908, the Polish Medical Society in Kiev and the Polish Union of Physicians and Naturalists in Petersburg.

1909 brought another change in the journal’s structure, when it was merged with Medical Journal (Czasopismo Lekarskie). From that moment on, it was published under a double title Jagiellonian Medical Review and Medical Journal (Przegląd Lekarski i Czasopismo Lekarskie).

On July 15, 1911, a special issue commemorating the 50th anniversary of the journal was published. It contained an opening paper written by a historian of medicine, Professor Adam Wrzosek, presenting an overview on the history of the development of Polish medical journals with special focus on the past of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review. Professor of otolaryngology Przemysław Pieniążek presented a review of the papers devoted to the methods of examination and surgical treatment of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi, published in the journal from its beginnings. There was a strong wish and hope that the journal would follow the path marked out and repeatedly highlighted by various generations of physicians associated with it.

In the summer of 1914, World War I broke out and changed the course of life. We can find a short announcement published in issue no. 32: “On August 6, the editorial board held a meeting where it decided to suspend the publication of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review until further notice due to martial law.” It was not before late autumn of 1915 that the edition of the journal was resumed. The editorial board announced that: “The publishing of Jagiellonian Medical Review and Medical Journal, interrupted last year due to war, is being resumed in a reduced form for the time being. We were prompted to do so, despite the considerable difficulties, by the most important corporations and medical associations in the country, and by wide circles of colleagues who unanimously agreed that resuming the publication was necessary.” It was now a monthly and the number of papers in each issue was reduced, although their quality was still high. From January 1916, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review became once again a weekly and due to wartime, it was also published as a replacement for Lviv Medical Weekly (Lwowski Tygodnik Lekarski).

November 1918 marked an end to World War I in Europe. After 123 years of nonexistence, Poland was resurrected, immediately faced with conflicts on its borders and forced to fight for its independence. The economic situation of the country was extremely weak, which had a negative impact on every area of ​​life. Understandably, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review experienced this, too. In 1920, it was again a monthly and subsequent issues were rather thin.

In 1921, a new, nationwide medical journal was formed, which was announced to the readers. Entitled Polish Medical Journal (Polskie Czasopismo Lekarskie), it was to play the very same role as Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review did for decades, that is, to be a general forum for discussion about the most important topics in current Polish medicine. The last issue of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review was published in September 1921. But its history was far from over.

After World War II, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review was brought back to life. The first issue of the now biweekly journal was published on July 1, 1945. Designated as the second series, it became the official organ of the Kraków Association of Physicians, the Medical Chamber in Kraków, the Trade Union of Physicians of the Republic of Poland, and the Voivodeship Office of Health. The Kraków Association of Physicians was also responsible for the editorial process. Professor Józef Kostrzewski became the head of the editorial board. From 1946 until 1971, Professor Bronisław Giędosz was editor-in-chief.

In the opening text, Professor Stanisław Ciechanowski referred to the history and tradition of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review pointing that its aims and goals remained unchanged. However, the changes that medicine was undergoing and the formation and development of new medical disciplines, especially clinical ones, would have an impact on the nature of the content published. Already in 1947, there was a significant increase in information useful for practicing physicians. A few years later, the subtitle “clinical journal” was added and it was used between 1955 and 1957.1 It should be noted, however, that this did not mean the eradication of the problems of basic sciences, and over time, the number of works and reports in the field of pharmacology, physiology, pathomorphology, or medical biochemistry constituted a significant part of the published articles. In other words, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review retained its general medical nature.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the journal was also influenced by administrative and political changes. On its title page, the fifth volume of 1948 featured information about the journal being the press organ of the Kraków Association of Physicians, the Wrocław Association of Physicians, and Medical Chamber in Kraków. Based on political decisions, in 1950, the existence of the Medical Chamber was terminated and Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review was now officially the press organ of the Kraków, Wrocław, and Bytom Associations of Physicians. It was then that it became a monthly publication.

In 1953, pressured by the government’s centralization ideas, the Kraków Association of Physicians became a part of the Polish Association of Physicians. It retained, however, vast autonomy, including decisions concerning the editorial board of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review. Until 1990, it was published by the State Medical Publishing House (Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich). From 1958, the title page only contained information that the journal was published in Kraków, and then from 1963, that it was the organ press of the Kraków Division of the Polish Medical Association.

The editorial board made sure that the journal was perceived as a nationwide forum. For this reason, special issues were dedicated to medical faculties, among others, in Wrocław, Łódź, Szczecin, and Lublin. Similarly, materials from congresses and conferences, for instance, those of the Polish Hematological Society or the Polish Medical Society, were published. In 1964, a special issue on the 600th anniversary of the Jagiellonian University was released. Various other significant events were honored in a similar fashion, for example, the 100th anniversary of the Kraków Association of Physicians (1966) and the 100th anniversary of the Polish Academy of Science (1973).

From 1961, on the initiative of Professors Antoni Kępiński and Stanisław Kłodziński in cooperation with Professor Józef Bogusz, the first of what was commonly known as Auschwitz Studies (Zeszyty oświęcimskie) was published as part of Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review. The intention was for all medical aspects of Nazi genocide system to have a separate place where they could be described and analyzed. It was also a space to present the stories of prisoners, many of whom were physicians and medical personnel, struggling in primitive camp conditions to save the lives of their fellow prisoners. In the following years, Medical Review – Auschwitz (Przegląd Lekarski – Oświęcim) received increased international recognition. In 1971, a selection of articles was published under the title Okupacja i medycyna (Occupation and Medicine). In cooperation with the International Auschwitz Committee, the translation of selected texts to foreign languages was also added.1 By 1991, when the last issue of Medical Review – Auschwitz was published, the journal had released 31 volumes with over 1000 papers and hundreds of short reports. There should be no doubt that Medical Review – Auschwitz became one of most important sources for those who were interested in medical, psychological, and social aspects of imprisonment in concentration camps. The importance of this publication was confirmed by its 2-time nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.2

In 1971, after Professor Giędosz passed away, Professor Leon Cholewa took over as editor-in-chief. In 1970s, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review continued its editorial line with certain innovations. One of them was a permanent place reserved for papers recommended by the editorial board, which were published as openings of each issue accompanied by a short note on the author’s scientific work and field of interest.

First years of the 1980s were hard times for the journal due to political and economic situation in the country. Nevertheless, Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review survived. In this time, the so-called monothematic issues devoted to one selected topic, and issues containing texts of symposia presentations, the so-called symposia issues, were introduced.

From 1985, the position of editor-in-chief was held by Professor Jan Sznajd who was supervising the journal editorial politics. The new cover graphic design was introduced and although texts in Polish were the majority, some texts in English appeared. The monothematic and symposia issues were continued.

In 1990, Professor Zygmunt Hanicki became editor-in-chief. This time Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review had to face the new era of free market. Financial problems led to the necessity of finding a new publisher. As it was stated in the third issue of 1991, the Foundation of Polish Physicians-Pro-Medica operating at the Main Board of the Polish Medical Association took over the publishing responsibility of 4 medical journals, including Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review . As it soon became obvious, the situation was far from stable. Just after 3 years, it was once again urgent to look for another publisher. This time, it was the Laboratory Diagnostics Foundation in Kraków, which was responsible for editing the journal for the next 2 years (1994–1995). It helped maintain its continuity but could not be a permanent solution.2

Finally, on December 20, 1995, the Board of the Kraków Division of the Polish Medical Association, headed by Professor Marek Sych, decided to establish an autonomous Wydawnictwo Przegląd Lekarski (Medical Review Publishing House). In the same year, Professor Władysław Sułowicz became editor-in-chief. He maintained this position until 2019. The journal was indexed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education with Index Copernicus, as well as the Polish Medical Bibliography and Index Medicus / Medline.2

It is most fortunate news that Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review is returning to life once again, rising like the Phoenix from the ashes. In truth, however, it never died. From 1862 until now, it has been a living tradition not only of the Medical Faculty of the Jagiellonian University and the Kraków Association of Physicians, but also of the Polish medicine. We should remember that Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review served to exchange medical knowledge and played an integrating role for entire generations of Polish doctors. It always was and still remains a valuable source for historians of science and all those who wish to learn about the past of our homeland. Przegląd Lekarski – Jagiellonian Medical Review can now open a new chapter for the benefit of cutting-edge medical science and practice. It can and it should be done. This is my strong belief.