Seweryn Sterling: one of founders of Polish pulmonology and phtysiatry

Seweryn Sterling was born in Tomaszów Mazowiecki on February 21, 1864. His family was Jewish, although strongly polonized. He studied medicine at the Imperial Warsaw University and after graduation he worked in Tomaszów Mazowiecki. In 1894, Sterling moved to Łódź, where he established the first in the Kingdom of Poland “ward for chest disease patients”. Thanks to Sterling, the first tuberculosis outpatient clinic was opened in Łódź in 1910. In his scientific and clinical activity, he preferred climatic and hygienic methods, like exercise, sunlight, diet, etc. He sparingly used tuberculin for treatment and introduced method of pulse palpation and body temperature examination to tuberculosis diagnostic evaluation. Sterling worked out an original tuberculosis classification, which has been applied in Poland since 1925. He was an author of 174 publications, including two textbooks. He was also an active member of many scientific associations in the country and abroad. In 1928, Sterling was made professor by the Independent Polish University. He died on August 6, 1932 in Rabka, and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Łódź.