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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to highlight the historical importance of the events of the year 1848 for Czech surgery and to provide a brief report on medical dissertations written in Prague between the years 1832 and 1846, focused on the surgical treatment of incarcerated hernias., Methods: The study was designed as a literary search using original materials of the Archive of Charles University, the National Library of the Czech Republic, and international sources., Results: In the year 1848 surgery became an official part of the university medical curriculum after a long process of integration. We identified and analysed ten medical dissertations on anatomy, diagnosis and treatment of incarcerated hernias, completed in the above mentioned period., Conclusion: Our results illustrate both the successful completion of implementation of surgery into the medical curriculum, as well as the ways and the quality of both conservative and surgical treatments of incarcerated hernias between 1832 and 1846.

In the period from 2000 to 2005, with support of several grants, a unique multi-media center for teaching endoscopic techniques was established at the Department of Anatomy, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague. This conditions have been provided for the repeated use of cadavers preserved by a special embalming method of Professor Thiel of the Institute for Anatomy, University of Graz, for simulation of surgical procedures. One room of the Department has been converted into a small operating theatre and an audio-visual network with wireless Internet connection covers the whole dissection unit of the Department. A graphic studio for production of teaching materials has also been set up. The course in dissection for the first- and second-year medical students also includes demo arthroscopy. In addition to the courses for students, postgraduate courses for young surgeons are organized. These provide an opportunity to learn about techniques and instruments employed in a broad range of arthroscopic procedures, using appropriate cadaver materials.

The objective was to assess in a qualitative study how correctly anatomical terms are used in four selected Czech medical journals (Acta Chirurgiae Orthopaedicae and Traumatologicae Cechoslovaca, Ceská gynecology, Ceská radiology and Rozhledy v chirurgii, 1990-1996). A total of 1200 articles were evaluated where 145 anatomical terms were detected which differed from P.N.A. and from Nomina Anatomica valid at present. Of these 25 were terms from B.N.A. (4) and from I.N.A. (21). Approximately twice as frequent were anatomical and clinical eponyms (52). The highest ratio (71) was formed by incorrect terms (36 Latin and 35 Czech). The authors feel that in the improvement of the standard of exact anatomical terminology in clinical medicine as well as in the professional literature in future a part should be played by better teaching at medical faculties within the framework of the new curriculum and by higher demands on the standard of manuscripts accepted by editors of professional journals.