Gastric resection Billroth or Rydygier?

The Authors present the history of the first gastric resections and of the two men who first made this bold step in surgery. Although the famous Viennese surgeon Theodor Billroth is credited with the first gastric resection, known as the Billroth I procedure, the less well known Ludwik Rydygier from Chelmno, Poland, performed and described the procedure several months earlier. The Authors present the lives and major achievements of these two pioneering surgeons.