Along with the announcement of the new temporary exhibition “Health is our greatest wealth. Selected stories of Slovenian health and medical heritage since the beginning of the 20th century”, we present to you the object of the month – the stethoscope of the doctor, gynecologist and obstetrician, acad. prof. dr. Franc Novak, who elevated Slovenian gynecology and obstetrics to international prominence.
In 1931, he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, specialized in gynecology in 1938 and received his doctorate in 1966. During World War II, he was one of the organizers of the partisan healthcare. He spent most of his professional career in Ljubljana, where he worked as the head of the Gynecology Clinic, lectured as a full and emeritus professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, was the head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He was also a full member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He introduced modern surgical procedures into gynecological surgery. He became world-famous for his original ideas in the Wertheim operation. Among other things, he worked on prenatal and postpartum women’s health care and modern contraception. He published and lectured extensively, presenting his rich practical and theoretical knowledge all over the world.
