Professor Artur Czyżyk (1927-2012): an excellent doctor, outstanding researcher, and cofounder of Polish diabetology.

389 On 15 July 2012, we lost Professor Artur Czyżyk – an outstanding clinician and researcher, preceptor of many generations of physicians, one of the founders of Polish diabetology, and a member of numerous scientific societies. Professor Czyżyk was an exceptional physician – always devoted to his patients. He did his job with passion. He was an excellent diagnostician and educator – a teacher of numerous generations of students. With his vast knowledge on humanities, he was a true Renaissance man. He impressed us with his command of foreign languages. He was a connoisseur of French literature. We admired his deep understanding of diabetic biochemistry; his lectures were popular and were attended by large audience. He was very demanding both to himself and his assistants. We all remember the ward rounds, for which we would always prepare for many hours, but still we would never come up to Professor’s expectations. Professor Czyżyk followed high standards in everyday life and research work. He always expressed himself with great clarity and accuracy. Many generations of diabetologists learned from his textbook: Pathophysiology and clinical presentation of diabetes mellitus (original title in Polish: Patofizjologia i klinika cukrzycy). Although its last edition was published many years ago, Polish physicians continue to use it today because the book provides inspiration and answers to difficult questions. The Professor was a particularly thorough reviewer of numerous research papers and sometimes required multiple corrections to make the papers consistent with current medical knowledge. He taught subsequent generations of physicians critical and original approach to research and investigational work.