Ante Šercer
Encyclopedia
Ante Šercer was a Croatia
n physician.
He attended elementary school in Dubrovnik
. Finishing medical studies in Graz
(Austria
) and Prague
(Czech Republic
), he soon attended the specialized courses in Othorinolaringology (otolaryngology
) in Zagreb
, Vienna
, and again, in Prague. He started practising at the clinical hospital of the Medical Department (Medicinski fakultet) in Zagreb
in 1920, and eventually became its administrator and an associate professor
. Later, in 1946, he became head of the department of the othorinolaringology of the Sisters of Charity Hospital (Bolnica Sestara Milosrdnica).
Due to his efforts, and those of Eduard Miloslavić
, the Medical Faculty was created in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, in 1944 with eight lecturers. At that time, he also advocated opening the Center for Oriental Studies there. The University of Zagreb
provided 15 t
of material and other equipment and books needed for 180 students in that first year. Due to that effort, when World War II
ended, academician Šercer was sentenced by the newly created government
of Yugoslavia
to one year of forced labor and the confiscation of the property, found guilty of supporting the NDH
, despite the fact that two lecturers at the institution were Serbs
, and one of them Muslim
(Muhamed Kontardžić), with the student national structure at the school balanced.
Šercer published 170 scientific papers, among which outstanding places belong to his works in the field of otolaryngological propaedeutics
and clinical treatment, plastic surgery of the nose and ear, oral surgery and tonsilar problems. His method of presenting the infrastructure of the nose through decortication
gained world attention. He was among the first in Europe
to treat otosclerosis
by surgery and worked out a special theory about the etiopathogenesis of this illness. He initiated and was the editor
in chief of a Croatian medical Encyclopedia
, which was one of the first books of that kind in the world.
Among the famous people he treated and cured were the Jazz
musician Louis Armstrong
("Satchmo") and opera
stars including Mario del Monaco
and Giuseppe di Stefano
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n physician.
He attended elementary school in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. Finishing medical studies in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
(Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
), he soon attended the specialized courses in Othorinolaringology (otolaryngology
Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
) in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and again, in Prague. He started practising at the clinical hospital of the Medical Department (Medicinski fakultet) in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1920, and eventually became its administrator and an associate professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
. Later, in 1946, he became head of the department of the othorinolaringology of the Sisters of Charity Hospital (Bolnica Sestara Milosrdnica).
Due to his efforts, and those of Eduard Miloslavić
Eduard Miloslavic
Eduard Miloslavić was a professor of pathology, a descendant of Croatian emigrants to the United States, born in Oakland, California. His father Luko moved from Župa Dubrovačka to Dubrovnik in 1878. In same year he married Vica Milković. A few years later the couple emigrated to the United States...
, the Medical Faculty was created in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, in 1944 with eight lecturers. At that time, he also advocated opening the Center for Oriental Studies there. The University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
provided 15 t
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
of material and other equipment and books needed for 180 students in that first year. Due to that effort, when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended, academician Šercer was sentenced by the newly created government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
to one year of forced labor and the confiscation of the property, found guilty of supporting the NDH
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
, despite the fact that two lecturers at the institution were Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, and one of them Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
(Muhamed Kontardžić), with the student national structure at the school balanced.
Šercer published 170 scientific papers, among which outstanding places belong to his works in the field of otolaryngological propaedeutics
Propaedeutics
Propaedeutics or propedeutics is a historical term for an introductory course into a discipline: art, science, etc. Etymology: pro- + Greek: paideutikós, "pertaining to teaching"....
and clinical treatment, plastic surgery of the nose and ear, oral surgery and tonsilar problems. His method of presenting the infrastructure of the nose through decortication
Decortication
Decortication is a medical procedure involving the surgical removal of the surface layer, membrane, or fibrous cover of an organ. The procedure is usually performed when the lung is covered by a thick, inelastic pleural peel restricting lung expansion. In a non-medical aspect, decortication is...
gained world attention. He was among the first in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to treat otosclerosis
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is an abnormal growth of bone near the middle ear. It can result in hearing loss.-Clinical description:Otosclerosis can result in conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss...
by surgery and worked out a special theory about the etiopathogenesis of this illness. He initiated and was the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
in chief of a Croatian medical Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
, which was one of the first books of that kind in the world.
Among the famous people he treated and cured were the Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
("Satchmo") and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
stars including Mario del Monaco
Mario del Monaco
Mario Del Monaco was an Italian tenor who is regarded by his admirers as being one of the greatest dramatic tenors of the 20th century....
and Giuseppe di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano
Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli...
.