Wanda Maria Stojalowska (1905 - 1995)

Professor Wanda Stojaloswka was born in Zurawno in 1905. During school years she lived in Lvov where in 1923 she finished secondary school. She finished biological studies graduating from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov. There she worked in in the Vaccine Institute, which produced typhus vaccine, under Prof. Rudolf Weigl, during the Second World War.

Since 1946 she lived in Lublin and she became assistant at the Department of Biology of the medical Faculty of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin. Here, she cooperated with Prof. Hieronim Jawlowski (1887-1977), one of the last representatives of the old school in the field of nervous system in insects and myriapodology.

In 1963 she became a headmaster of department of Biology and Parasitology at Medical School in Lublin. In those years she actively conducted a research in medical parasitology, especially in parasites of digestive tract in humans.

She conducted original and interesting research on the development of several Glomerids. She brought new ground in the study of the life-histories of millipedes in the field. Her ramifying faunistical, cenological and morphological investigations on the millipedes were summarized in a 200 pages monograph: "Krocionogi (Diplopoda) Polski" published in 1961. Prof. Stojalowska's contributions to myriapodology have been the key to the recognition of Polish millipedes species, XIV. vol. of catalogue of Polish fauna-Diplopoda published in 1974 and 46 myriapodological and parasitological publications. Prof. Stojalowska devoted a large part of her myriapodological works to the study of synanthropic and mountains species of millipedes and describe new taxa especially from Poland. She was the chairman of the Parasitological Commission of Polish Parasitological Society, the Secretary of Lublinian Scientific Society, vice-chairman of Polish Zoological Society, section of Lublin. Till the end of her long life she took part in the scientific meetings. Alse when retired Wanda Stojalowska retained a vivid interest in the progress of myriapodology. Her scientific interests influenced the careers of Dr Bielak-Olesky, Prof. R. Giering, Prof. Gromysz-Kalkowska, Dr W. Jaskiewicz, Dr W. Pietron, Dr Z. Pirog and Dr W. Soroczan.
She will be always remembered by hundreds of students of medical faculty and young scientific researchers who were deeply affected by her exceptional gift in teaching, her noble maneers and strong personality.

Professor Wanda Stojalowska died on May 16, 1995 in Lublin.
We will remember her for ever as one of the kindest colleagues in our discipline.



Gregorz Kania, April 1996
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