Johan (Erik Johan) Widmark

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(1850 - 1909)
http://runeberg.org/nfcl/0154.html
Widmark was born August 26, 1850. He passed his state examination in 1881 and then dedicated himself first to surgery but soon switched to ophthalmology which he had studied on a trip during 1882/83 when he had visited Vienna, Halle, Utrecht, London and Paris. After his return to Sweden he discussed a publication Om jequirity-oftalmien and began in 1884 as assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Karolinska institutet his activities as teacher. At that time ophthalmology was in Sweden still combined with general surgery. A special professorship for ophthalmology was established 1889 at the institutet and Widmark was appointed to the chair. ln 1891 he was made full professor. He occupied this position until he died.
Widmark was for a quarter century the teacher of ophthalmology in Sweden. He contributed greatly to the development and dissemination of ophthalmology in his country. The main part of clinical teaching was done in the clinic which he directed. The majority of the Swedish ophthalmologists were trained by him. His former assistants will always remember his intelligent guidance and his ambition to imbibe them with a penchant for scientific work. He continued to help them and remained their friend after they had left his clinic.
ln addition to his work in the clinic and his teaching obligations Widmark developed an extensive and varied scientific activity. He had an unusual amount of diligence and enjoyed investigative work which for him was not only a necessity, but also an avocation.
He died quite young, on December 15, 1909. The cause of death was a carcinoma of the Gl tract which had been diagnosed six months earlier during a laparotomy. At that time the cancer had already proven inoperable.
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