Ord. Prof. Dr. A. Burhaneddin Toker: Türk Cerrahisine Katkıları*

Abstract

Ord. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Burhaneddin Toker, who has been one of the former directors of the Department of General Surgery, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul University, made great efforts and contributions to the Hospital of Cerrahpasa for 30 years, before and after this latter became a "University Clinic". Therefore he became a personality who leaded the progresses and reforms, in not only Cerrahpaşa but also the whole remaining family of Turkish Surgery.

He performed the first distal and total gastrectomy in 1928 and 1950 respectively and was also amongst the pioneers of the traumatology in Turkey. He first published Turkish Journal of Surgery and was an active member in the foundation of Turkish Surgical Society. He also had the first "Certificate for the Specialization in Surgery" in 1928, after passing the exam.

Ord. Prof. Dr. Toker was born in 1890 at Van and graduated from the Istanbul Medical School in 1910. He went to Germany in 1913 to make his residency in surgery and has worked in Hamburg for six years as a staff resident

He returned back to his home country in 1921. Thereafter, being the operator and the clinical director of the Department of Surgery, he transformed his clinic into a modern and nationwide popular one.

Subsequent to the "University Reform", the world famous German surgeon Ord. Prof. Dr. Rudolf Nissen has been assigned as the "Director of the 1st Surgery Clinic" in August 1, 1933, and the clinic was moved from Haydarpaşa to Cerrahpaşa. Dr.Burhaneddin Toker was first assigned to the staff of Dr. Nissen as an associate professor; five months later he became professor. Nissen went to U.S.A. because of his sickness and Dr. Toker became the director by proxy in 1939 and subsequent to definitive departure of Nissen, the new director of 1st Surgery Clinic at Medical School. He had the degree of "Ordinarius Professor" in 1943 and leaded the formation of new traumatology, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery and anesthesia departments. He died in August 20, 1951.