Joachim Oelhaf and the first public autopsy in Gdansk in 1613

The first both in Gdansk and in Central Europe alleged public autopsy was performed by Joachim Oelhaf in February 1613. It was an evidence for Gdansk status as one of the leading anatomical centres in Europe. The aim of the article is to present the history of teaching medicine in Gdansk in early modern era and the eminent anatomists working in Academic Gymnasium of Gdansk. The preserved report of the autopsy of a new-born child with congenital defects is analysed as one of the very first texts in pathological anatomy. The described by Oelhaf case is identified as limb-body wall complex

Thermal and spectroscopic studies of polymer protective coatings used in optical fibers technology

An important factor determining the quality of optical fibers is their mechanical reliability. The control of the mechanical reliability allows define the lifetime of a fiber, which was under the stress during the work. Decisive influences on the mechanical and optical properties of the optical fibers have the protective coatings. Optical fiber technology requires that the coatings were applied on them on-line, directly after they have been drawn. So far, little attention has been paid to optimizing the conditions of coatings curing. In this work, the comparison of a thermoanalytical and spectroscopic analysis of coatings that were cured in an UV oven in which the power of the UV lamps was changed will be shown. As part of the research tasks, completed mechanical strength measurements were made with a silica fiber of 0.125 mm diameter

Potentially pathogenic yeasts from soil of children’s recreational areas in the city of Łódź (Poland)

Objectives: Yeasts may become potential human and animal pathogens, particularly for individuals with a depressed immune system. Their presence in the environment, especially in soil, may favour their spread into human ontocenoses. Materials and Methods: Eighty-four soil samples obtained from 21 children's recreational sites in Łódź in autumn 2010 and spring 2011 were evaluated. The yeasts were isolated by classical microbiological methods and identified on the basis of morphological and biochemical features. Results: The fungi were found in 73.8% and in 69.0% of the examined samples collected in autumn and spring, respectively. Among 97 isolates of yeasts, the species potentially pathogenic to humans and animals were Candida colliculosa, C. guilliermondii, C. humicola, C. inconspicua, C. lambica, C. lusitaniae, C. pelliculosa, C. tropicalis, Cryptococcus albidus, C. laurentii, C. neoformans, C. terreus, Kloeckera japonica, Geotrichum candidum, G. penicillatum, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, R. glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Sporobolomyces salmonicolor and Trichosporon cutaneum. The most frequently isolated fungi included the genus Cryptococcus (38 isolates) and two species: Rhodotorula glutinis (15), Trichosporon cutaneum (14). C. neoformans, an etiological factor of cryptococcal meningitis, was present in the sandpits of 3 kindergartens. The Candida species were identified from park playgrounds and school sports fields mainly in autumn 2010 (14 isolates), in spring 2011 - only 1 isolate. The concentration of fungal species in particular samples varied considerably, but in the majority of samples, fungi were present at concentration of up to 1×102 CFU/1 g of soil. Conclusions: Yeasts were present in the soil of parks, schools and kindergarten recreational areas; the fact may pose a health risk to humans, especially to children, and this type of biological pollution should be regarded as a potential public health concern

The Thirteenth-Century Mystical Tradition in the Baroque Painting the Adoration of Christ’s Wounds by Nuns of the Order of St. Benedict in the Benedictine Convent in Przemyśl

W klasztorze Panien Benedyktynek w Przemyślu znajduje się siedemnastowieczny obraz ukazujący adorację Chrystusa przez zakonnice reguły św. Benedykta. Przedstawienie to reprezentuje ducha mistyki pasyjnej. W XIII wieku nabożeństwo do człowieczeństwa Jezusa stawało się coraz bardziej powszechne, szczególnie w Niemczech. Prymat miłości w kontemplacji był cechą charakterystyczną tej mistyki oblubieńczej, zwanej też miłosną. W XVII wieku, w czasie kiedy powstał obraz, duchowość pasyjna kontynuowała myśl średniowieczną i oparta była w wielkiej mierze na tekstach objawień średniowiecznych wizjonerek, szczególnie św. Mechtyldy z Heckeborn i św. Gertrudy Wielkiej. Ogromną rolę w rozwoju kultu Męki Chrystusa i Jego Serca na ziemiach polskich odegrali wówczas ksieni benedyktynek chełmińskich Magdalena Mortęska i jezuita Kasper Drużbicki. Ukazane na obrazie zakonnice, poprzez zróżnicowany czas i miejsce życia, reprezentują także wielowiekową tradycję i historię zakonu benedyktynek i monastycyzmu benedyktyńskiego. This paper looks at the 17th-century painting showing the adoration of Christ by nuns of the Order of St. Benedict, and which is to be found in the Convent of the Benedictine Sisters in Przemyśl. This depiction represents the spirit of the mysticism of the Passion. In the 13th century, devotion to the humanity of Jesus became more and more common, especially in Germany. The primacy of love in contemplation was a characteristic feature of this bridal mysticism, which was also known as love mysticism. In the 17th century, when the painting was created, this passionate spirituality continued this line of medieval thought, which was largely based on the texts of the revelations of medieval visionaries, especially those of St. Mechthild of Hackeborn and St. Gertrude the Great. A considerable role in the development of the cult of the Passion of Christ and His Heart in Poland was played by the prioress of the Benedictine nuns of Chełmno, Magdalena Mortęska, and the Jesuit Kasper Drużbicki. The nuns who are shown in the picture, from various times and places, represent the centuries-old tradition and history of the Benedictine Order and Benedictine monasticism

Incorporation of the myth of Oedipus in the univers of Gommes by Alain Robbe-Grillet.

Celem niniejszej pracy licencjackiej jest analiza powieści Alaina Robbe-Grilleta "Gum"y pod kątem zawartych w niej nawiązań do mitu o Edypie. Praca ukazuje podobieństwo zarówno cech formalnych dzieła - w odniesieniu do budowy dramatu Sofoklesa i struktury samej powieści, gdzie mowa jest przede wszystkim o prologu, incipicie i zawartym na na stronie tytułowej epigrafie - jak i roli bohaterów, których cechy w widoczny sposób pokrywają się ze swoimi pierwowzorami. Wallas okazuje się więc swego rodzaju Anty-Edypem. Istotną rolę w przetworzeniu mitu Edypa odgrywa również topografia nie nazwanego miasta, w którym rozgrywa się akcja. Labirynt ulic i przyporządkowane im nazwy stanowią dla czytelnika pewnego rodzaju łamigłówkę, podkreślającą fakt, że na kartach powieści zostało ukrytych wiele drobniejszych i subtelniejszych nawiązań do mitu. Ostatnia część, odwołująca się do antycznej koncepcji jedności czasu, skupia się na jego cykliczności i niewątpliwym wpływie na rozwój samej intrygi. Zamknięta w dwudziestu czterech godzinach opowieść znajduje swój koniec, gdy wystrzelona z pistoletu poprzedniego wieczoru kula dosięga swego celu dokładnie po upływie doby. Konkluzja zawiera wnioski odwołujące się do poszczególnych części pracy i jeszcze raz podkreśla nieuchronność losu bohaterów - Wallasa i Edypa, cykliczność czasu i wielowymiarowość powieści, która może zostać poddana niemal nieskończonej ilości analiz i interpretacji.The aim of this dissertation is to analyze and to interpret the references to the myth of Oedipus included in the diegesis of the novel “The Erasers”, written by Alain Robbe-Grillet.On one hand, the work focuses on formal qualities of the novel, such as structure, prologue, incipit and epigraph, while on the other, on the role of protagonists whose features are the reflections of their archetype. In this way, Wallas turns out to be a kind of Anti-Oedipus. The topography of a nameless city also plays a major role in the course of action, where a labyrinth of streets and names assigned to them can nearly provoke a headache. The last part of the dissertation evokes the classical unity of time and focuses on its cyclicality, which undoubtedly influences the course of the plot. The story closed in twenty-four-hour frame finishes at the very moment when the bullet fired the day before, reaches its target at the end of the next day.The conclusion refers to particular parts of the work and once again underlines the fatality of the protagonits' fate (both Wallas and Oedipus), the circularity of time and the multidimensionality of the novel which can be subjected to numerous analyzes and interpretations.L'objectif de ce mémoire de licence est d'analyser des références au mythe d'Œdipe comprises dans la diégèse des "Gommes" d'Alain Robbe-Grillet. Il y est question d'une part des caractéristiques formelles de l'œuvre - par rapport à la structure de la tragédie de Sophocle et du roman où on se concentre surtout sur le prologue et l'incipit, mais également sur l'épigraphe qui les précède - et d'autre part sur le rôle de protagonistes dont les traits sont un reflet de leur archétype. De cette manière Wallas s'avère une sorte d'Anti-Œdipe. La topographie de la ville sans nom joue aussi un rôle majeur dans le déroulement de l'action où un labyrinthe des rues et des noms associés à ces dernières devient une sorte de casse-tête pour le lecteur. Il souligne la présence d'un grand nombre d'autres références subtiles et bien cachées sur les pages du roman. La dernière partie du mémoire, qui fait appel au concept antique du temps, se concentre sur la circularité de ce dernier et son influence indéniable sur le développement de l'intrigue. L'histoire encadrée en vingt-quatre heures retrouve sa fin au moment où la balle tirée la veille atteint sa cible après l'écoulement d'une journée. La conclusion se réfère aux parties particulières du mémoire et elle souligne encore une fois la fatalité du sort des protagonistes - de Wallas et d'Œdipe, la circularité du temps et la multidimensionnalité du roman qui peut être soumis à de nombreuses analyses et interprétations

‘Soli gloria Ddeo’. Constancy in Changeability on the Example of Modifications in the Main Altar of St Mary’s Church in Gdańsk

In 1511 in Gdańsk a contract was signed between the guardians of Our Lady’ Church and Master Michael of Augsburg according to which the latter was to build a new main altar. It was to be the third main altar founded for the church. The first one was probably built as early as about 1363. The second altar for the church that was constantly extended was established on 2 August 1476. On 25 January 1517 in St Mary’s Church, at the altar newly built by Master Michael, the first Holy Mass was celebrated; it was one on the Virgin Mary’s Assumption. The presbytery was filled with the great altar retable, about 15m tall and 7m wide. It consisted of three basic parts: a predella, the main box with three pairs of wings and an architectonic finial. In the solemn opening it presented the Triumph of Our Lady and the Church in Heavenly Jerusalem. In the finial the central figure was Christ ascending Heaven. Probably in 1539 the painter Master Merten enriched the altar’s painting contents placing ten Christological scenes on the reverse of the box and three scenes illustrating the life of Esther on the reverse of the predella. In 1618 the altar was subjected to renovation made by Izaak van den Blocke. On 22 April 1804 Jacob Domke, a Gdan´ sk merchant, died, assigning a certain sum of money for a renovation of the main altar. The devastated late Gothic finial was dismantled and a figure of Our Lady and the Infant was put over the closed altar box, devoid of the painted side wings. Over it a relief presentation of the Prayer in Gethsemane, and still higher, the scene of Crucifixion were put. The former predella was replaced by the picture of the Last Supper painted by F.C. Mayerheim. In 1867 the guardians of the church decided to order a new altar finial. On 5 June 1870 the altar, cleared from the grey paint, gilded and painted again, complemented by Julius Wendler with a neo-Gothic finial referring to the primary one, rich in meaning; with a new predella showing Jesus’ Reposition, was solemnly consecrated. The next stage of the altar’s history was connected with the development of the modern theory of conservation. In 1936 the neo-Gothic finial and the side framing were dismantled, the renovated side wings were mounted and the original predella was restored. In 1944, before the expected Soviet offensive, the altar was taken to pieces and taken to Kadyny. There it remained until the war was over. After the necessary restoration works in 1966 the still incomplete altar returned to its former place where it was still subjected to further preservation measures. The magnificent and extraordinarily precious work of art brings the mood of the late Middle Ages enriched with Renaissance elements. It was devoted to the Virgin Mary reigning together with the Trinity on a common throne in the centre of a richly developed presentation of Heavenly Jerusalem. However, the work, profuse in meanings connected with the Virgin Mary, was crowned with the figure of the ascending Christ; and among the verses engraved on the brass candlesticks to extol Mary, there is one saying ‘Soli gloria Deo’ – ‘Glory to God Himself’. This invocation remained topical when all the Protestant changes took place in the retable’s form and contents. Keeping at all times the scenes devoted to Mary and the figure of Christ crowning them stress his superiority in the history of Salvation

Food of ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus L.) and gudgeon (Gobio gobio (L.)) in Włocławek Dam Reservoir

Studies on food composition of two unexploited species, ruffe and gudgeon, were carried out in 1982 and 1984 in Włocławek Dam Reservoir. Diet of both species was essentially composed of Chironomidae larvae, Cladocera and Copepoda. Diet composition of ruffe and gudgeon suggests that the two species grazed mostly in shallow water, with ruffe penetrating the bottom, and gudgeon feeding in areas overgrown with submerged plants