Review article
The tragic demise of Head Physician Ortensio Pepi in Pula in 1938
Robert Matijašić
; University Juraj Dobrila, Pula, Croatia
Abstract
The description represents a frame – an anecdotal one from today’s perspective – from the history of surgery in Pula, to which the author’s attention was directed by the late Vilijam Bilić, M.D., head of the Section for surgical diseases of the General Hospital in Pula. Head physician Ortensio Pepi, head of surgery of the then Regional Hospital, died in Pula on January 17, 1938 from gunshot wounds inflicted ten days before. He was shot in the street by a husband of a patient that died three months before following a difficult surgery. It appears that the gunman passed judgement on himself immediately after the insane act by shooting himself in the head, and died the same evening. The event garnered a lot of attention from the only newspaper of the time in Pula – Corriere Istriano, through which we keep track of the difficult, yet successful abdomen surgery and the gradual recovery of head physician Pepi. However, several days after the reporter published that the patient’s condition is no longer life threatening, Ortensio Pepi died “due to complications”.
Keywords
murder; surgeon; Ortensio Pepi, M.D.; media; Pula
Hrčak ID:
72550
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2011.
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