Jan Osiecki "Zbigniew Religa - a man with a heart on his hand"

Author: Jan Osiecki First edition: 2009 Medical topic: interview/autobiography Description: An extended interview with the eminent Polish cardiac surgeon conducted by Jan Osiecki shortly before Zbigniew Religa’s death. Here, the professor recounts not only the beginnings of the Polish school of cardiac surgery, but also his early days as a doctor. The story presented in the book sometimes takes on an incredible character, for who among us would have suspected that he came within a hair’s breadth of never becoming a surgeon at all, or that by the time he graduated, he had already performed over a hundred surgeries on his own(!). This is the story of a man who played a pivotal role in the development of Polish medicine—a man who, though not without human weaknesses and flaws, accomplished great things. With immense dedication and humility, he faced the inevitable every day. One can be a great scientist, explorer, or pioneer, yet few are granted the opportunity, as he was, to simply become a wise man.