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)

Medical Studies in Vienna

He wanted to study medicine, because he came to the conclusion that what Croatian peasants needed most was physicians - physicians who had an understanding of people's needs. He enrolled at the Viennese Medical School on October 18, 1906. At that time Vienna was one of the most important medical centres in the world.

Unlike most students of the time, he led a solitary, modest life, did not frequent cafes, and had already firmly decided never to drink alcohol. He took all his examinations in due order, and in addition to obligatory subjects, he indulged in reading socio-medical papers.

Among other scientists who influenced Štampar by their outlook, special attention should be made of the biologist Ernst Hackel and Alfred Grotjahn, German hygienist, who later in his memoires wrote very flattering words about Štampar's work.

Already as a medical student, Andrija Štampar initiated the editing of didactic medical papers and wrote pamphlets and articles with the intention to educate people in health matters. He persuaded the printer M. Mladjan in Nova Gradiska to start publishing the series called 'Public Health Library'. In one year alone (1909), Štampar prepared 3 volumes for this series. The same year he prepared a pamphlet on alcoholism (after M. Helenius and A. Trygg-Helenius) and venereal diseases (after Finger and Schumburg). Also, 3 more volumes were ready to appear - on trachoma, nutrition and child health - but Štampar did not succeed in publishing them since the publisher got into financial difficulties.

Štampar's 'Instructions on Health' are very well written, sometimes with real poetical enthusiasm. The basic idea he expounded was that the duty of each person is to take care of his own health; if we care for our health, we do not do it for ourselves only but for the community in which we live as well.

Štampar's philosophical thoughts and his views on life are expounded in his papers 'Mechanisms of Mental Life', 'Oneness of Matter', 'Generatio Aequivoca'.

A series of articles entitled 'From the Field of Social Medicine' and published in the periodical 'Zvono' (1909) are definitely polemic in character. Štampar stood firmly on his feet and nothing is his writing revealed that he still lacked a diploma. Throughout the articles he cried for reforms in Croatia.

Although he published over 70 articles and pamphlets as a student, he neve neglected his regular studies. He passed successfully all his examinations and on December 23, 1911 the was awarded the title of Doctor of Universal Medicine (doctor medicinae universae).