Esse autem chirurgus debet…

This well-known Latin sentence by Celsus (from De Medicina) describes the ideal qualities of a surgeon:

The surgeon, however, must be young, or certainly closer to youth, with a strong, steady, and never-trembling hand, no less skilled with the left hand than with the right, with sharp and clear vision, and fearless in spirit.

This examination of the required profile for surgeons and doctors was the focus of an educational excursion for the Latin module “Medical Terminology” to Franziskus Spital Margareten on March 6, 2026.

After a tour of the hospital complex led by our Mother Superior, Sr. Birgit Dorfmair, the ‘short Latin students’ of 8BC delved into an expert lecture by the head of gastroenterology, Senior Physician Dr. Wolfgang Tillinger. Here, not only was the daily professional life of doctors and nurses highlighted, but the students also gained insight into the surgical outpatient clinic for endoscopy and were able to try their hand at a simulated medical exercise (including “gummy bear success experiences”). Thus, the Latin students could directly experience how medical knowledge has developed over millennia and what traces of antiquity are still visible in modern medicine today.

Our special thanks go to: Ms. Sanela Siebert, MBA (Assistant to the Management), Ms. Sandy Preissack (Operating Room / Endoscopy Appointment Management), Ms. Andrea Betkova (Head of Endoscopy Functional Area), Senior Physician Dr. Wolfgang Tillinger, Ms. Cornelia Guldner, and Sr. Birgit Dorfmair (Mother Superior).

Text and photos: Sr. Dr. M. Faustyna Kadzielawa