Leonard Polak Danils

Personal

Vocation

Dutch professor in internal medicine. Polak Daniels studied medicine in Leiden. On 8 February 1900 he became a doctor. After studying in Berlin under Rudolf Virchov and Von Hanseman (April 1900-April 1901), he became assistant gynaecologist under Veit in Leiden and subsequently assistant in pathological anatomy. He became assistant-physician in The Hague in 1903, pathologist-anatomist in 1913 and head of the clinic in 1917. On 1 July 1914, he received an honorary doctorate in medicine from the University of Groningen. On 29 July 1918, Groningen appointed him as professor in medicine and pharmacology. His inaugural lecture was titled "Eenige beschouwingen over functiestoornissen als grondslag van het geneeskundig denken" (Some observations on functional disorders as foundation of medical theory). He published several books and articles and was editor of Acta Medica Scandinavia. On 21 September 1936 he became Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen till 1937. In 1917, he was co-founder of the Dutch General Pathology Assocation. In 1916, the Dutch Red Cross awarded him the Cross of Merit and in 1937, he was made Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion. Personal. On 17 April 1900 he married Catharina Pleijte (17 February 1875 22h30, Leiden). In the night of 14/d May 1940, the day of the Rotterdam Blitz and the Dutch surrender, he and Catherina took their lives in Den Haag.