Digestive endoscopy from rigid to fiber-optic instruments; the Polish contribution to the development of gastrointestinal endoscopy

In 1987 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the British Society of Gastroenterology Sir Francis Avery-Jones (1) wrote (perhaps a little exaggerating) in his introductory remarks: “In 1937 the alimentary tract was invisible, impalpable and inaccessible-except the top and the bottom”. Indeed, diagnostics in gastroenterology was very weak and uncertain at the beginning and even in the middle of the last century. Endoscopy and radiology, developing first apart and then together revolutionized the diagnostics and consequently the practice in gastroenterology. Endoscopy brought a new access to operative procedures alleviating the burden of open surgery as well. The method, apart from knowledge, needs personal skills and so new problems of postgraduate education and ethics appeared. Due to the enormous progress in science and in technology it has reached the present level of accuracy. Polish gastroenterology with its early achievements in gastric secretion (Leon Popielski, histamine), abdominal surgery (Ludwik Rydygier, first gastric resection), endoscopy (Jan Mikulicz-Radecki) and later research upon the neuro-hormonal brain-gut axis (Stanis³aw J. Konturek) tried to keep pace with the world-wide progress in this field. The Polish contributions to the growing knowledge and improving practice may be traced from the very beginning of the 20th century.