Arnold Jirásek

Arnold Jirásek was an eminent surgeon and is reckoned the founder of Czechoslovak neurosurgery. He received his education at Prague and received his doctorate in 1910. He worked in the Prag Allgemeines Krankenhaus 1910-1912, 1913-1914 in the I. surgical clinic. He participated as a surgeon in the Balkan war and World War I, and afterwards returned to the I surgical clinic in Prague. He was habilitated in 1923, in 1926 became ordinarius of pathology and therapy of surgical diseases, as well as head of the I surgical clinic, at the Czech university – the Charles University. After the Fascist invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Czech universities were closed down, their buildings being freely available to SS troops, German universities, war industry, and for other purposes.

Jirásek particularly concerned himself with the field of surgery of the brain- and spinal marrow, joint surgery, and the preparation of patients for operation, and also had a considerable influence on the development of abdominal surgery He was a prolific writer, most of his work being in the Czech language.