Series VI: Medical Sciences – SUPPLEMENT ... - Krongres

D. BARAN: Dr. Victor Gomoiu, Balkan paradigms and lessons of a lifetime 139
1946, Gomoiu took part in debates on the
foundation of a social-christian party, able
to oppose communism. In 1950, after
having lost almost all his goods, due to
nationalization, after having witnessed the
partial destruction of his archives, when 68
year old, he was imprisoned by the
communists and spent approximately five
years in prison. [7]
The imprisonment was due to his
closeness to the «exploiting class», to the
Royal Family of Romania, and his position
of Minister of Health under a previous
regime.
The real cause was his constant refusal
to «enroll» and cooperate with the
communist government, give up
correspondence with foreign scientists,
deny his friends, and formally recognize
the new political order. Gomoiu could not
worship these international and national
«last-minute masters» whose portraits
already replaced, even in his office,
beloved figures: Stalin - Queen Elena; Ana
Pauker and an unknown woman - his
“marvelous angels”, his two deceased little
girls; another bearded man - his father. [7]
After the relative opening of the
communist camp towards a more humane
attitude, in 1964, Dr.Gomoiu was
rehabilitated and his heritage officially
reconsidered.
Monographs, communications and
studies were dedicated to him. In 1970, his
widow, Dr. Viorica Gomoiu participated
with a communication in the XXII-nd
Congress of the ISHM held in Bucharest
once more. In 1972, she accepted to donate
Dr. Gomoiu`s remnant collections and
other personal objects to the History of
Medicine Museum founded in Craiova,
under the auspices of the local University
and its Faculty of Medicine. [6)]
Soon it became a famous establishment
and gathered some other important
collections belonging to towering
personalities of Romanian medicine.
Unfortunately, following the revolution
of 1989, other problems, especially
economical, but also moral ones, impeded
the full valorization of this great spiritual
heritage.
Thus, in 1996, the “Gomoiu” History of
Medicine and Pharmacy Museum in
Craiova was itself dismantled after the
building retrocession to former owners.
Dr. Victor Gomoiu, the surgeon
Victor Gomoiu was professor,
practitioner and passionate researcher in
the field of surgery and topographic
anatomy.
In the domain of surgery, Victor
Gomoiu greatly contributed to plastic
surgery, sympathetic system surgery,
traumatology and urology, imagining and
implementing new operatory techniques
and procedures.
Cervical sympathectomy was such a
personal procedure, often recommended in
treating angina pectoris crises.
Solarectomy was another original method.
His approaches were appreciated by the
French surgeon René Leriche (1879-1955),
famous for his pain and sympathetic
system surgery. [6]
From 1903 to 1905 Dr. Gomoiu
specialised in the surgical clinique of the
reputed professor Thoma Ionescu (1878-
1885). Professor Ionescu studied medicine
and law in Paris.
He was awarded the Laborie prize of
the Surgery Academy in Paris, and the
silver medal for surgery, as laureate of the
Hospitals in Paris.
He was an anatomy agrégé between
1892-1895 in the French capital, and in
1895 returned to Romania.
Thoma Ionescu pioneered anaesthetic
surgical procedures and in 1919 published
in Paris, at Masson et Cie Editing House, a
momograph on «General Rachianesthesia»
where cervical anaesthesia was described.
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