Skevos Zervos
Encyclopedia
Skevos Georges Zervos, also known as Skevos Zervos was a prominent Greek Professor; a pioneer surgeon in Transplants and Telemedicine
, who became a local and national benefactor in Greece.
Skevos was born and raised in Kalymnos City or Pothia, the capital of the island Kalymnos
, Greece
. Skevos was a member of a local wealthy, influential, distinguished and aristocratic family on the island. The family of Skevos had built the local hospital and local orphanage on the island, and through this they became local benefactors.
His brother was a local prominent citizen called Kleanthes Zervos and his nephew was the local Christian Bishop of Kalymnos, Nikephoros Zervos whom in 1905 founded and established the Nikephoros High School, the first high school set up in Kalymnos. In front of the high school, there is a statue bust dedicated to Nikephoros Zervos.
Skevos in his student years was a traditional free naked sponge diver in Kalymnos. Skevos dived with a traditional and multi-purpose tool called a Skandalopetra, which was used as a steering wheel/base tied as a line of communication with the boat. Diving for sponges is a part of the traditional diving heritage of Greece and the Aegean Sea
.
In 1910, Skevos was the first surgeon to perform the testicle transplantation from an ape to a man. This operation was successful. In 1934, this surgery was officially recognised by the Russia
n Surgeon Serge Voronoff
.
In 1919, Skevos assisted the Greek Politician Eleftherios Venizelos
who travelled to the Paris Peace Conference in regaining the Dodecanese
as a part of the modern state of Greece. On March 7 1948, he was a paragon of the Central Dodecanese Committee and was present in Rhodes
, when the United Nations
, returned the Dodecanese region to the then government of Greece.
Skevos was a Medical Professor of the School of Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
. There Skevos developed a system that allowed him to examine a patient from a distance. This examination was concerning auscultation and cardiac pulses. The data could be transmitted in any place around the world. Virtues of the system were demonstrated in several experiments conducted in plenary sessions of the Athens Medical Society at the National University of Athens, at the National Technical University of Athens
and at the Athens Academy
during the signals were transmitted from several Athens hospitals and various Greek cities. His scientific research was published in the Annals of the Athens Medical Society (1946–1956). His system was proposed to be used on board of the Greek Ships that were offering regular service between Piraeus
and New York
. The communication at this time could not be afforded and the system was not used.
Skevos in his elder years married, however he had no children. In his honor the ’disease of the naked sponge divers’ was named ’Skevos Zervos disease’. As a posthumous honor, the local Kalymnean Government erected a life-size statue of him.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
, who became a local and national benefactor in Greece.
Skevos was born and raised in Kalymnos City or Pothia, the capital of the island Kalymnos
Kalymnos
Kalymnos, is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum , between the islands of Kos and Leros : the latter is linked to it through a series of islets...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Skevos was a member of a local wealthy, influential, distinguished and aristocratic family on the island. The family of Skevos had built the local hospital and local orphanage on the island, and through this they became local benefactors.
His brother was a local prominent citizen called Kleanthes Zervos and his nephew was the local Christian Bishop of Kalymnos, Nikephoros Zervos whom in 1905 founded and established the Nikephoros High School, the first high school set up in Kalymnos. In front of the high school, there is a statue bust dedicated to Nikephoros Zervos.
Skevos in his student years was a traditional free naked sponge diver in Kalymnos. Skevos dived with a traditional and multi-purpose tool called a Skandalopetra, which was used as a steering wheel/base tied as a line of communication with the boat. Diving for sponges is a part of the traditional diving heritage of Greece and the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
.
In 1910, Skevos was the first surgeon to perform the testicle transplantation from an ape to a man. This operation was successful. In 1934, this surgery was officially recognised by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Surgeon Serge Voronoff
Serge Voronoff
Serge Abrahamovitch Voronoff was a French surgeon of Russian extraction who gained fame for his technique of grafting monkey testicle tissue on to the testicles of men for purportedly therapeutic purposes while working in France in the 1920s and 1930s. The technique brought him a great deal of...
.
In 1919, Skevos assisted the Greek Politician Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...
who travelled to the Paris Peace Conference in regaining the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
as a part of the modern state of Greece. On March 7 1948, he was a paragon of the Central Dodecanese Committee and was present in Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, when the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, returned the Dodecanese region to the then government of Greece.
Skevos was a Medical Professor of the School of Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...
. There Skevos developed a system that allowed him to examine a patient from a distance. This examination was concerning auscultation and cardiac pulses. The data could be transmitted in any place around the world. Virtues of the system were demonstrated in several experiments conducted in plenary sessions of the Athens Medical Society at the National University of Athens, at the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
and at the Athens Academy
Athens Academy
Athens Academy is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school originally founded in Athens, now located in Oconee County, Georgia, United States. The school sponsors grades K through 12, and also operates a preschool. It was founded in 1967. The school's motto is Excellentia Cum Honore...
during the signals were transmitted from several Athens hospitals and various Greek cities. His scientific research was published in the Annals of the Athens Medical Society (1946–1956). His system was proposed to be used on board of the Greek Ships that were offering regular service between Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The communication at this time could not be afforded and the system was not used.
Skevos in his elder years married, however he had no children. In his honor the ’disease of the naked sponge divers’ was named ’Skevos Zervos disease’. As a posthumous honor, the local Kalymnean Government erected a life-size statue of him.
Sources
- http://www.greekedirectory.com/articleview.aspx?ID=355
- http://conganat.uninet.edu/ICVHAP/conferencias/017/history.htm
- http://www.kalymnos-hotels.com/the-Skandalopetra-Freediving-Games/2006/
- http://kalymnos.agni.gr/History_of_Kalymnos/Kalymnos_in_the_19th_Century/index.asp
- Skevos Zervos (1875-1966) and the first transplants of monkey testicles to a man
- A Catalogue of Paris Peace Conference delegation propaganda in the Hoover War Library, Volumes 1-4, Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace Stanford University Press, 1926, in the link below
- http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.%24b584268;size=125;view=image;page=root;seq=90;num=86