Dr. Tomaž Furlan (1901–1961) and his fight against tuberculosis – on the 110th anniversary of his birth

• Main Author: Damjana Furlan Hrabar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2012-05-01
• Series: Zdravniški Vestnik
• Online Access: http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/804
• ISSN: 1318-0347; 1581-0224

Dr Tomaž Furlan (1901–1961), physician and tuberculosis specialist at the Golnik sanatorium, greatly influenced Slovenian and former Yugoslav treatment of tuberculosis. Before the discovery of antituberculotics, he made a significant contribution to the surgical treatment of consumption using the collapse therapy, and especially by the help of extrapleural pneumolysis. After the discovery of the antibiotic streptomycin and other antituberculotics in the early 50’s, he and his colleagues successfully introduced chemotherapy, which gradually replaced surgical treatment and in the mid-Fifties greatly reduced tuberculosis morbidity and mortality rates. In 1955, Dr Furlan opened the first ward for the treatment of non-specific lung diseases at the Golnik hospital. He with his co-workers also fought against tuberculosis in Slovenia by founding dispensaries, vaccinating against the illness, carrying out X-ray diagnostics and founding a Register of tuberculosis. He published numerous professional and popular articles on tuberculosis and was editor-in-chief of the medical journal “The Fight against Tuberculosis”. During the interwar period (1918–1941) he was a Christian socialist, participated in politics and advocated socialism with Christian ethics. He was a great patriot, committed to the health and cultural and economic development of the Slovenian nation.