| Abstract: | Billroth came to the Kantonspital in Zurich as a disciple of v. Langenbeck. He changed that hospital from a largely privately controlled and state-dominated chronic disease hospital to an active teaching center with full-time personnel, a residency system, and its own equipment. He instituted a system of follow-up surgical statistics and criteria for certain surgical procedures. His technical ability and scholarship in pathology, anatomy, and surgical techniques made that institution a sought-after school. The marked swings in moods that were to characterize Billroth's entire career started in Zurich and had their source in his musical, professional, and personal interrelationships. Most important, this apprenticeship in surgery and administration made it possible for him, after 7 years, to be accepted to the Professorship at the University of Vienna, at that time the outstanding surgical school on the continent. |
