Geza de Takats

(1892-1985)

Geza de Takats was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1892. He re-
ceived his M.D. degree from the University of Budapest in 1915,
following which he received three more years of post-graduate
surgical training at the same university. He was an exchange as-
sistant at the surgical clinic of the University of Copenhagen in
1920 and was granted a traveling fellowship in Medical Education
from the Rockefeller Foundation from 1923 to 1924.

In 1925 Dr. deTakats moved to Chicago and established the first
vascular disease clinic at the Northwestern University Medical
School. He served as head of that clinic until 1935, when he was ap-
pointed chief of the vascular disease clinic at the University of lllinois,
where he remained until 1960. In 1952 he was appointed
Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois. In the
same year, after having joined the surgical staff of St. Luke's Hos-
pital, he was appointed chief of the surgical staff there from 1952
to 1954. He also served as chairman of the cardiovascular labora-
tory at the same institution. From 1958 to 1975 he was a member
of the newly merged surgical staff of the Presbyterian-St. Luke's
Hospital and became Rush Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, in 1971.

Dr. deTakats held honorary memberships in many surgical so-
cieties in this country and in several surgical societies in Europe.
He served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery in 1953,
president of the North American Chapter of the International
Cardiovascular Society, 1952-54, president of the Chicago Surgi-
cal Society, 1954-55, president of the Chicago Heart Association,
1962-63, and president of the International Cardiovascular Soci-
ety from 1965 to 1967. In 1967 he received the Lincoln Award of
the American Hungarian Studies Foundation.

Dr. de Takats was the father of vascular surgery in Chicago.
Citing this fact. Mayor Richard J. Daley proclaimed December 2,
1976, as "Geza de Takats Day" in Chicago to coincide with a
Northwestern University seminar on vascular disease being held
at the time in his honor.

Dr. de Takats was the author of books on local anesthesia,
thromboembolic disease and vascular surgery. He also contributed
over 250 papers to scientific journals. In addition, he authored
several books that were privately published, including Breach of
Etiquette and Other Stories.

Geza deTakats became a member of the Chicago Literary Club
in 1963 and served as its president in 1971-72. He presented nine
papers.

Read before the Club: January 25, 1999