Medical education in Lviv in the first half of XX century as viewed by the contemporaries

Abstract

Aim. Little-known pages of history of the national medical education in the first half of the 20th century was studied by investigation of historical, historical memoir, and biographical materials. It was established that the training of health workers with higher education in Western Ukraine in the first half of the 20th century had its own peculiar characteristics due to particular geopolitical circumstances. The survey results showed the relevance and importance of preservation of biographical memoirs, archival materials, research on historical and contemporary aspects of the teaching methodology, personal characteristics of teachers, and disciplinary and educational science in the formation of a medical professional. The history of domestic medicine and medical education through the limitations of sources and peculiarity of national historiography of previous periods is not only poorly covered, but unresearched. The aim of the study was preserving the memoirs of stored data and their analysis in the context of historical events and methodological principles of higher medical education in Galicia in the first half of the 20th century. Material and Methods. The object of the study were the memoirs of the contemporaries of the studied period (still maintained, but not recorded in printed sources), available historical memoirs, biographical publications, and online information materials. The studies were based on reminiscences of the obstetrician-gynecologist, Irena Myhovych-Sternyuk (1906-1991) and the family archive materials of professor Y.M. Sternyuk. Biographical, bibliographical-historical, logical methods, and methods of historical analysis were used in processing the material, its interpretation, and conclusions formulation. Results and Discussion. Due to lack of information sources, the peculiarities of medical education in Western Ukraine during the first half of the 20th century are not sufficiently studied today - in terms of the two world wars, when over 50 years administrative and political systems and the state ownership of the land were changed 5 times,. Based on the study of archival materials and memoirs, it was found that training of health workers with higher education in Western Ukraine in the first half of the 20th century had its own characteristics due to particular geopolitical circumstances. Our studies allow to capture fragments of university (institute) environment, personal characteristics of the teaching staff, educational methodologies, and thus to analyze their impact on the academic traditions, training and education of doctors in historical context. The researched archival materials complement information from student life, faculty biographies of the Medical Faculty of the Lviv University, Lviv State Medical Institute and State medical and natural professional courses in Lviv. The survey results show the importance of the teaching methodology and educational discipline of science in the formation of a medical professional. Therefore, studying and possibly borrowing of certain elements from the historical experience of pedagogy of higher medical education in Ukraine is not only informative and scientific but also of practical importance under the present conditions of organization of educational process in Ukraine. Conclusions. 1. Collection and preservation of biographical memoirs and archival materials from the history of medical education, science and professional activity in Ukraine is a relevant task of today. Filling the sources base with evidence will allow for deeper and fuller examination of not only particular historical events or facts, but also for objectively interpreting them in the context of the social and geopolitical situation of the relevant historical period. 2. For interpretation of historical facts and documentary materials, it is important to study and analyse biographical memoir sources, which we believe can be an important means of objectification of historical research. 3. Our studies confirm the importance of teaching methodology, personal characteristics of teachers, and combination of disciplinary and educational science in the formation of a medical professional.

Keywords

• medical education, medical ethics, lviv university, lviv state medical institute, state medical and natural professional courses in lviv