Heroes and Cultural Identity Project

SCE Heroes - Ludwik Hirszfeld

A MAN ABOVE CONFLICT

LUDWIK HIRSZFELD

by Anna Slodownik

Ludwik Hirszfeld was born in 1884 in a Jewish family in Warsaw. He studied medicine and philosophy in Germany and worked all over the Europe in times of war and hate.

At the beginning he worked with Erich von Dungern on certain aspects of the blood - their work resulted in naming the blood types A, B, O - the nomenclature that is still in use today.
At this time Hirszfeld discovered the mechanism of blood heredity what resulted in establishing serological method of paternity exclusion.

HIrszfeld's work on blood agglutinins led to the theory of "allergic miscarriage" - in fact the earliest theory on serological mother-child conflict proved soon after by discovery of the Rhesus factor. Hirszfeld was probably the first in Europe to save the newborn child's life by the whole blood exchange transfusion.

During the World Wars Hirszfeld worked actively against rapidly spreading infections like typhus and dysentery. He designed new vaccinations and organised vaccination programs. He also gave secret courses in medicine in the Warsaw Ghetto.

At every moment of his life he was as well as a physician, researcher and teacher, believing that the most important thing in science is to share knowledge.
He played an important role in building and organising medicine in Poland after both wars.
He died in 1954.

His friends and co-workers remember him as a great person, always kind and ready to help.

Anna Slodownik is a science student following a one year university access course in biological sciences.