Andrija Štampar
(an excerpt from 'Selected Papers of Andrija Štampar': "Life and Achievements of Andrija Štampar, Fighter for the Promotion of Public Health" by M.D. Grmek)

Epilogue

In accepting the Leon Bernard Prize, Štampar said in his speech: 'The few years of active life that I have before me will be dedicated, as those of the past, to our common aim: to world health.' Although the sword of Damocles in the form of arterial hypertension was already hanging over him, Štampar, a peasant descendant of robust health, had no premonition of his near end. He died in Zagreb, on June 26, 1958, from cerebral apoplexy.

Just as everybody who knew Andrija Štampar personally was impressed by his sound vitality and the elemental, unbending strength of his spirit, so must everybody who is acquainted with the story of his life be deeply impressed by the clear-cut, firm homogeneity, the logic, the persevering integrity and single-mindedness of all his activities. In spite of very turbulent times and tremendous changes round him, he persistently strove, up to his last breath, for the same ideals and objectives that he had formulated as early as his university days. Unlike a great many other physicians, he himself consequently put into practice in his own life all the theoretical and scientific knowledge he imparted to others. His life and work cannot be forgotten. We should pay him the tribute he deserves, but even more: we should continue learning from him.