Piotr Skalski | Poznan University of Medical Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by Piotr Skalski
Wchłanialne nici chirurgiczne: katgut i Dexon w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowej na tle rozwoju technologii zachodnich (Absorbable Surgical Sutures: Catgut and Dexon in the Polish People’s Republic in the Context of Western Technological Development), 2024
Having come to grips with the defi cit in basic drug production after the Second World War, the m... more Having come to grips with the defi cit in basic drug production after the Second World War, the management of the state-owned pharmaceutical conglomerate (since 1961 known as Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Farmaceutycznego "Polfa") attempted to chase after its western rivals. These aspirations turned out to pursue much more propaganda than practical goals, and the country's technological backwardness continued to deepen. A kind of autarky within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and political isolation meant that any scientifi c contacts with foreign countries were hampered. The industrial development policy in the People's Republic of Poland began to change at the end of 1970, when Edward Gierek was appointed First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. Meanwhile, the surgical medical community began to increasingly question the quality of domestically produced resorbable surgical sutures. Faced with futile attempts to solve this problem within its own and academic research institutions, "Polfa" began efforts to acquire a licence for the production of modern Dexon polyglycol sutures, offered by the American Cyanamid company. This transaction was intended to protect the country's medical system from a shortage of suture materials. The aim of this paper is to analyse implementation of modern technologies of surgical sutures manufacturing in polish planned economy system and pharmaceutical industry. The source material is the archives of "Polfa" located in the Archive of New Files in Warsaw and the State Archive in Poznań.
Medycyna Nowożytna. Studia nad Kulturą Medyczną, 2017
Polio was one of the most mysterious and problematic diseases that have plagued humanity for deca... more Polio was one of the most mysterious and problematic diseases that have plagued humanity for decades. This was due to the fact that the disease takes on a variety of forms, while the paralitic form, most commonly preserved in collective consciousness, develops only in 0.1% of infected individuals. For research on polio and the creation of vaccines against this viral disease hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide was spent. The peak of the incidence of poliomyelitis falls in the 1950s. Also in post-war Poland, the disease affected thousands of children. The number of patients suddenly increased in 1951 when it amounted to about 3,000. In subsequent years, this number was in the range 1-2 thousand, so as in 1958 reached a record - 6 thousand. Health care in the war-damaged country was not prepared for such a large influx of patients suffering from infectious disease. In many Polish cities, special departments and even hospitals were set up for the patients struggling with polio. One of such centers was the Provincial Infectious Hospital in Poznan. Since the early 1950s, due to the increasing number of cases of the disease, also an increase in the interest of Polish researchers and scientists in the disease of Heine-Medina appeares. At that time, numerous scientific papers on cerebrospinal fluid of patients, pathways of epidemics and treatments were developed. In patients with fully developed disease, heat therapy with physiotherapy was often used, in reference to the method used by nurse Elizabeth Kenny. Because of Soviet scientists, Polish doctors started to use bendazol therapy. It also came to elaboration of pioneering method of treatment. Karol Jonscher and Olech Szczepski, according to increasingly popular science of Pawłow in Poland, decided to give a rabies vaccine in particularly difficult and refractory cases. In 1956 they began work on the creation of the first polio vaccine based on Jonas Salk's method, which included attenuated forms of the polio virus. Mass vaccinations were started in 1958. Shortly thereafter, another great giant of vaccines, Hilary Koprowski, an eminent Polish virus survivor living in the United States joined the fight to control the Heine-Medina epidemic in Poland. The new, last chapter of the struggles of Poles with Heine-Medina disease began.
Acta Medicorum Polonorum, 2016
The article presents social and demographic features of pharmacy students in the interwar period ... more The article presents social and demographic features of pharmacy students in the interwar period in Poznan. The main source material used in this study were the personal files of students of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Poznan kept in the Archives of the University of Medical Sciences in Poznan. Based on the information from files the database was built and then developed sociodemographic analysis. Student population of Poznan Department of Pharmacy was constituted mainly by Poles. In the minority were Germans, Ukrainians and Jews. Students pharmacy came mostly from relatively affluent families. There were students from families belonging to the higher social classes as well. However, there was a large group of students who had trouble to make ends meet.
Sztuka Leczenia, 2023
Współczesna farmakologia znajduje zastosowanie nie tylko w terapii, ale również w wielu codzienny... more Współczesna farmakologia znajduje zastosowanie nie tylko w terapii, ale również w wielu codziennych obszarach życia, takich jak sport czy nauka. Podobnie jak środki dopingowe zwiększają wydolność i siłę, tak leki nootropowe wpływają na zdolność koncentracji i zapamiętywania, dzięki czemu cieszą się rosnącym zainteresowaniem w społeczności akademickiej. Do najczęściej stosowanych należą stymulanty, m.in. amfetamina, metylofenidat, modafinil oraz kofeina. Wiele substancji powszechnie uważanych za tzw. smart drugs poprawia zdolności kognitywne, lecz ich wartość prozdrowotna jest dyskusyjna. Celem pracy jest analiza różnych aspektów korzystania przez studentów ze środków stymulujących podczas nauki, tj. mechanizmów działania i efektywności, działań niepożądanych oraz świadomości użytkowników co do potencjalnych zagrożeń.
Słowa kluczowe: leki nootropowe, stymulanty, smart drugs, studenci, doping akademicki
.............................................................................................................................
Modern pharmacology is used not only in therapy, but also in many areas of everyday life, such as sports or science. Just as doping agents increase efficiency and strength, nootropic drugs affect the ability to concentrate and memorize, and therefore enjoy growing interest of the academic community. Most commonly used are stimulants, including amphetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil, caffeine and nicotine. Many substances commonly considered to be so-called smart drugs improve cognitive abilities, but their pro-health value is questionable. The aim of the study is to analyze various aspects of the phenomenon of using stimulants by students during studying, i.e. mechanisms of action and effectiveness, side effects and users’ awareness of the potential threats.
Keywords: smart drugs, brain enhancement drugs, nootropics, students, academic doping
Farmacja Współczesna, 2023
Terapia genowa, obok zastosowania w leczeniu wielu chorób genetycznych, stworzyła również możliwo... more Terapia genowa, obok zastosowania w leczeniu wielu chorób genetycznych, stworzyła również możliwość sztucznego zwiększenia zdolności fizycznych organizmu, chociażby w przypadku zawodowych sportowców. Geny, których modyfikacja pozwala na wzrost siły mięśni i wydolności to m.in. kodujące erytropoetynę, czynnik wzrostu śródbłonka naczyniowego, miostatynę, ludzki hormon wzrostu, insulinopodobny hormon wzrostu i endorfiny. Niemniej, terapie genowe, a co za tym idzie doping genetyczny, oprócz wielu korzyści diagnostycznych, profilaktycznych i terapeutycznych, mogą nieść ze sobą działania niepożądane: począwszy od zmiany parametrów krwi i zaburzeń w układzie sercowo-naczyniowym, poprzez działanie diabetogenne i możliwe przeciążenia organizmu, kończąc na potencjalnym związku z nowotworzeniem. Celem artykułu jest ocena możliwości oraz zagrożeń zdrowotnych wynikających z zastosowania terapii genetycznej jako formy dopingu.
.............................................................................................................................
In addition to its potential use in the treatment of a number of genetic diseases, gene therapy has also opened up the possibility of using genetic advances to artificially enhance the body's physical abilities, primarily in the case of professional athletes. Genes that can be modified to increase muscle strength and performance include those encoding erythropoietin, endothelial growth factor, myostatin, human growth hormone, insulin-like growth hormone and endorphins. However, gene therapies, and thus genetic doping, in addition to their many diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic benefits, may carry negative physiological consequences: from altered blood parameters and cardiovascular disorders, to diabetogenic effects and possible overloading of the body, and a potential link to tumourigenesis. The aim of this article is to assess the possibilities and health risks of using gene therapy as a form of doping.
![Research paper thumbnail of Poznańscy studenci farmacji w latach 1920–1939. Studium z zakresu historii społecznej (Pharmacy students in Poznan [1920-1939] from a sociohistorical perspective)](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/113627347/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Analecta. Studia i Materiały z Dziejów Nauki, 2016
In May 1919 the University of Poznan was founded. Soon after the Department of Pharmacy was start... more In May 1919 the University of Poznan was founded. Soon after the Department of Pharmacy was started. The article explores the socio-demographic profi le of Poznan pharmacy students in the interwar period. We analyzed socio-economic and demographic characteristics (e.g. age, gender, family status, nationality, citizenship) of 973 students whose records are collected in the Poznan University of Medical Sciences Archives.
Journal of neurology, Jan 15, 2017
Klio - Czasopismo Poświęcone Dziejom Polski i Powszechnym
Book Reviews by Piotr Skalski
Acta Medicorum Polonorum, 2020
Acta Medicorum Polonorum, 2017
Books by Piotr Skalski
Choroba w świetle filozofii, teologii i historii medycyny, 2024
PL: Rozdział skupia się na filozoficzno-historycznej analizie myśli etycznej oraz poglądów na tem... more PL: Rozdział skupia się na filozoficzno-historycznej analizie myśli etycznej oraz poglądów na temat nauki w publikacjach Alberta Schweitzera oraz Alexisa Carrela. W pracy uwypuklono najważniejsze postulaty oraz założenia, które leżały u podstaw ich rozważań. Pomimo wielu biograficznych podobieństw, zamiłowania do filozofii i medycyny oraz zbliżonych uwarunkowań geograficzno-historycznych, ich sposób postrzegania świata i drugiego człowieka różnił się znacząco. Celem rozdziału jest porównanie poglądów dwóch nietuzinkowych postaci, tworzących na pograniczu dyscyplin: medycyny, etyki i filozofii.
ENG: The chapter focuses on a philosophical and historical analysis of the ethical thought and views on science in the publications of Albert Schweitzer and Alexis Carrel. It emphasizes the most important postulates and assumptions that underpinned their deliberations. Despite their many biographical similarities, their love of philosophy and medicine, and their similar geographical and historical backgrounds, their perceptions of the world and of the other differed significantly. The aim of this chapter is to compare the views of two uncommon figures, working on the frontiers of the disciplines of medicine, ethics and philosophy.
Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Poznaniu, 2023
The subject of the monograph is the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company (PPC) and covers the year... more The subject of the monograph is the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company (PPC) and covers the years 1961-1998, which coincide with the period of organisation of Polish industry according to both socialist and democratic standards. The book starts with the reorganisation of the whole Polish pharmaceutical industry in 1961, which resulted in the establishment of the Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Farmaceutycznego (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Polfa was responsible for managing a dozen or so drug factories in Poland, including the PPC. The turning point was the year 1998, when Glaxo Wellcome, a British concern, purchased 80% of the Poznan-based company. The monograph focuses on the production and range of PPC products. In the analysis, an attempt was made to search for innovativeness in the activities of the enterprise, particularly in the field of production technology. It was assumed that the post-war industrial base of Poznan, the organisation of the pharmaceutical industry in Poland, the scientific background of the PPC, and its cooperation with branch scientific institutes, universities and foreign enterprises had the greatest influence on the Poznan factory’s production and range of products. The first chapter covers a brief history of the plants preceding the PPC, the genesis of their establishment, and changes in the organisational structure over the years. The drug and surgical thread industry in Poznan in the period before the establishment of the state conglomerate is also characteried. The second chapter analyses the functioning of the Polish pharmaceutical industry in the aforementioned period and discusses the Zjednoczenie policy in detail. The strategy and functioning of the industry in the 1980s, a difficult period for Poland, encompassed numerous changes at the central level and are carefully examined. The third chapter is an analysis of the scientific and technical infrastructure of the state industry association. An integral part of this was the Polfa Poznan research facilities, which are discussed in the next chapter. One of the main points of interest was the Research Laboratory (RL), which worked on drug technology, diversifying products, and solving production problems. The RL’s scientific cooperation is covered in the fifth chapter. Particularly intensive and mutually beneficial cooperation was established with the Pharmaceutical Faculty of the Medical Academy in Poznan. The establishment of contacts with foreign companies was also important for the development of plants. In Poznan, for example, the production of drugs implemented on the basis of having purchased a licence was a much more common practice than in other national plants. The sixth chapter characterises the production of the PPC in terms of quantity, range, quality, and financial results. Almost all available forms of medicine in Poland at the time were manufactured by Polfa Poznan. The most advanced medicines were therapeutic aerosols, which gained increasing therapeutic significance in the period examined. At different times, the PPC was also the only Polish manufacturer of suppositories, paediatric suspensions and even lozenges. Anti-asthmatic medicines, chemotherapeutic agents, and psychotropic drugs constituted a key group of products with regard to their mode of action. Moreover, a number of parapharmaceuticals and preparations for other purposes were also manufactured. An exemplification of the production conditions and activities undertaken for innovation is undertaken in the final chapter. It discusses the issue of the production of absorbable surgical sutures – catgut and Dexon – which were considered the most recognisable and important products of the plant. Although the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company cannot be called innovative due to a significant amount of copy works, it represented a high techno logical level on the national scale thanks to efficient management, well-targeted investments, and contacts with science representatives and foreign corporations. As a result, the PPC went through a period of political transformation in Poland without significant problems, quickly adapting to the realities of the free market.
Wchłanialne nici chirurgiczne: katgut i Dexon w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowej na tle rozwoju technologii zachodnich (Absorbable Surgical Sutures: Catgut and Dexon in the Polish People’s Republic in the Context of Western Technological Development), 2024
Having come to grips with the defi cit in basic drug production after the Second World War, the m... more Having come to grips with the defi cit in basic drug production after the Second World War, the management of the state-owned pharmaceutical conglomerate (since 1961 known as Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Farmaceutycznego "Polfa") attempted to chase after its western rivals. These aspirations turned out to pursue much more propaganda than practical goals, and the country's technological backwardness continued to deepen. A kind of autarky within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and political isolation meant that any scientifi c contacts with foreign countries were hampered. The industrial development policy in the People's Republic of Poland began to change at the end of 1970, when Edward Gierek was appointed First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. Meanwhile, the surgical medical community began to increasingly question the quality of domestically produced resorbable surgical sutures. Faced with futile attempts to solve this problem within its own and academic research institutions, "Polfa" began efforts to acquire a licence for the production of modern Dexon polyglycol sutures, offered by the American Cyanamid company. This transaction was intended to protect the country's medical system from a shortage of suture materials. The aim of this paper is to analyse implementation of modern technologies of surgical sutures manufacturing in polish planned economy system and pharmaceutical industry. The source material is the archives of "Polfa" located in the Archive of New Files in Warsaw and the State Archive in Poznań.
Medycyna Nowożytna. Studia nad Kulturą Medyczną, 2017
Polio was one of the most mysterious and problematic diseases that have plagued humanity for deca... more Polio was one of the most mysterious and problematic diseases that have plagued humanity for decades. This was due to the fact that the disease takes on a variety of forms, while the paralitic form, most commonly preserved in collective consciousness, develops only in 0.1% of infected individuals. For research on polio and the creation of vaccines against this viral disease hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide was spent. The peak of the incidence of poliomyelitis falls in the 1950s. Also in post-war Poland, the disease affected thousands of children. The number of patients suddenly increased in 1951 when it amounted to about 3,000. In subsequent years, this number was in the range 1-2 thousand, so as in 1958 reached a record - 6 thousand. Health care in the war-damaged country was not prepared for such a large influx of patients suffering from infectious disease. In many Polish cities, special departments and even hospitals were set up for the patients struggling with polio. One of such centers was the Provincial Infectious Hospital in Poznan. Since the early 1950s, due to the increasing number of cases of the disease, also an increase in the interest of Polish researchers and scientists in the disease of Heine-Medina appeares. At that time, numerous scientific papers on cerebrospinal fluid of patients, pathways of epidemics and treatments were developed. In patients with fully developed disease, heat therapy with physiotherapy was often used, in reference to the method used by nurse Elizabeth Kenny. Because of Soviet scientists, Polish doctors started to use bendazol therapy. It also came to elaboration of pioneering method of treatment. Karol Jonscher and Olech Szczepski, according to increasingly popular science of Pawłow in Poland, decided to give a rabies vaccine in particularly difficult and refractory cases. In 1956 they began work on the creation of the first polio vaccine based on Jonas Salk's method, which included attenuated forms of the polio virus. Mass vaccinations were started in 1958. Shortly thereafter, another great giant of vaccines, Hilary Koprowski, an eminent Polish virus survivor living in the United States joined the fight to control the Heine-Medina epidemic in Poland. The new, last chapter of the struggles of Poles with Heine-Medina disease began.
Acta Medicorum Polonorum, 2016
The article presents social and demographic features of pharmacy students in the interwar period ... more The article presents social and demographic features of pharmacy students in the interwar period in Poznan. The main source material used in this study were the personal files of students of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Poznan kept in the Archives of the University of Medical Sciences in Poznan. Based on the information from files the database was built and then developed sociodemographic analysis. Student population of Poznan Department of Pharmacy was constituted mainly by Poles. In the minority were Germans, Ukrainians and Jews. Students pharmacy came mostly from relatively affluent families. There were students from families belonging to the higher social classes as well. However, there was a large group of students who had trouble to make ends meet.
Sztuka Leczenia, 2023
Współczesna farmakologia znajduje zastosowanie nie tylko w terapii, ale również w wielu codzienny... more Współczesna farmakologia znajduje zastosowanie nie tylko w terapii, ale również w wielu codziennych obszarach życia, takich jak sport czy nauka. Podobnie jak środki dopingowe zwiększają wydolność i siłę, tak leki nootropowe wpływają na zdolność koncentracji i zapamiętywania, dzięki czemu cieszą się rosnącym zainteresowaniem w społeczności akademickiej. Do najczęściej stosowanych należą stymulanty, m.in. amfetamina, metylofenidat, modafinil oraz kofeina. Wiele substancji powszechnie uważanych za tzw. smart drugs poprawia zdolności kognitywne, lecz ich wartość prozdrowotna jest dyskusyjna. Celem pracy jest analiza różnych aspektów korzystania przez studentów ze środków stymulujących podczas nauki, tj. mechanizmów działania i efektywności, działań niepożądanych oraz świadomości użytkowników co do potencjalnych zagrożeń.
Słowa kluczowe: leki nootropowe, stymulanty, smart drugs, studenci, doping akademicki
.............................................................................................................................
Modern pharmacology is used not only in therapy, but also in many areas of everyday life, such as sports or science. Just as doping agents increase efficiency and strength, nootropic drugs affect the ability to concentrate and memorize, and therefore enjoy growing interest of the academic community. Most commonly used are stimulants, including amphetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil, caffeine and nicotine. Many substances commonly considered to be so-called smart drugs improve cognitive abilities, but their pro-health value is questionable. The aim of the study is to analyze various aspects of the phenomenon of using stimulants by students during studying, i.e. mechanisms of action and effectiveness, side effects and users’ awareness of the potential threats.
Keywords: smart drugs, brain enhancement drugs, nootropics, students, academic doping
Farmacja Współczesna, 2023
Terapia genowa, obok zastosowania w leczeniu wielu chorób genetycznych, stworzyła również możliwo... more Terapia genowa, obok zastosowania w leczeniu wielu chorób genetycznych, stworzyła również możliwość sztucznego zwiększenia zdolności fizycznych organizmu, chociażby w przypadku zawodowych sportowców. Geny, których modyfikacja pozwala na wzrost siły mięśni i wydolności to m.in. kodujące erytropoetynę, czynnik wzrostu śródbłonka naczyniowego, miostatynę, ludzki hormon wzrostu, insulinopodobny hormon wzrostu i endorfiny. Niemniej, terapie genowe, a co za tym idzie doping genetyczny, oprócz wielu korzyści diagnostycznych, profilaktycznych i terapeutycznych, mogą nieść ze sobą działania niepożądane: począwszy od zmiany parametrów krwi i zaburzeń w układzie sercowo-naczyniowym, poprzez działanie diabetogenne i możliwe przeciążenia organizmu, kończąc na potencjalnym związku z nowotworzeniem. Celem artykułu jest ocena możliwości oraz zagrożeń zdrowotnych wynikających z zastosowania terapii genetycznej jako formy dopingu.
.............................................................................................................................
In addition to its potential use in the treatment of a number of genetic diseases, gene therapy has also opened up the possibility of using genetic advances to artificially enhance the body's physical abilities, primarily in the case of professional athletes. Genes that can be modified to increase muscle strength and performance include those encoding erythropoietin, endothelial growth factor, myostatin, human growth hormone, insulin-like growth hormone and endorphins. However, gene therapies, and thus genetic doping, in addition to their many diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic benefits, may carry negative physiological consequences: from altered blood parameters and cardiovascular disorders, to diabetogenic effects and possible overloading of the body, and a potential link to tumourigenesis. The aim of this article is to assess the possibilities and health risks of using gene therapy as a form of doping.
Analecta. Studia i Materiały z Dziejów Nauki, 2016
In May 1919 the University of Poznan was founded. Soon after the Department of Pharmacy was start... more In May 1919 the University of Poznan was founded. Soon after the Department of Pharmacy was started. The article explores the socio-demographic profi le of Poznan pharmacy students in the interwar period. We analyzed socio-economic and demographic characteristics (e.g. age, gender, family status, nationality, citizenship) of 973 students whose records are collected in the Poznan University of Medical Sciences Archives.
Journal of neurology, Jan 15, 2017
Klio - Czasopismo Poświęcone Dziejom Polski i Powszechnym
Choroba w świetle filozofii, teologii i historii medycyny, 2024
PL: Rozdział skupia się na filozoficzno-historycznej analizie myśli etycznej oraz poglądów na tem... more PL: Rozdział skupia się na filozoficzno-historycznej analizie myśli etycznej oraz poglądów na temat nauki w publikacjach Alberta Schweitzera oraz Alexisa Carrela. W pracy uwypuklono najważniejsze postulaty oraz założenia, które leżały u podstaw ich rozważań. Pomimo wielu biograficznych podobieństw, zamiłowania do filozofii i medycyny oraz zbliżonych uwarunkowań geograficzno-historycznych, ich sposób postrzegania świata i drugiego człowieka różnił się znacząco. Celem rozdziału jest porównanie poglądów dwóch nietuzinkowych postaci, tworzących na pograniczu dyscyplin: medycyny, etyki i filozofii.
ENG: The chapter focuses on a philosophical and historical analysis of the ethical thought and views on science in the publications of Albert Schweitzer and Alexis Carrel. It emphasizes the most important postulates and assumptions that underpinned their deliberations. Despite their many biographical similarities, their love of philosophy and medicine, and their similar geographical and historical backgrounds, their perceptions of the world and of the other differed significantly. The aim of this chapter is to compare the views of two uncommon figures, working on the frontiers of the disciplines of medicine, ethics and philosophy.
Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Poznaniu, 2023
The subject of the monograph is the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company (PPC) and covers the year... more The subject of the monograph is the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company (PPC) and covers the years 1961-1998, which coincide with the period of organisation of Polish industry according to both socialist and democratic standards. The book starts with the reorganisation of the whole Polish pharmaceutical industry in 1961, which resulted in the establishment of the Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Farmaceutycznego (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Polfa was responsible for managing a dozen or so drug factories in Poland, including the PPC. The turning point was the year 1998, when Glaxo Wellcome, a British concern, purchased 80% of the Poznan-based company. The monograph focuses on the production and range of PPC products. In the analysis, an attempt was made to search for innovativeness in the activities of the enterprise, particularly in the field of production technology. It was assumed that the post-war industrial base of Poznan, the organisation of the pharmaceutical industry in Poland, the scientific background of the PPC, and its cooperation with branch scientific institutes, universities and foreign enterprises had the greatest influence on the Poznan factory’s production and range of products. The first chapter covers a brief history of the plants preceding the PPC, the genesis of their establishment, and changes in the organisational structure over the years. The drug and surgical thread industry in Poznan in the period before the establishment of the state conglomerate is also characteried. The second chapter analyses the functioning of the Polish pharmaceutical industry in the aforementioned period and discusses the Zjednoczenie policy in detail. The strategy and functioning of the industry in the 1980s, a difficult period for Poland, encompassed numerous changes at the central level and are carefully examined. The third chapter is an analysis of the scientific and technical infrastructure of the state industry association. An integral part of this was the Polfa Poznan research facilities, which are discussed in the next chapter. One of the main points of interest was the Research Laboratory (RL), which worked on drug technology, diversifying products, and solving production problems. The RL’s scientific cooperation is covered in the fifth chapter. Particularly intensive and mutually beneficial cooperation was established with the Pharmaceutical Faculty of the Medical Academy in Poznan. The establishment of contacts with foreign companies was also important for the development of plants. In Poznan, for example, the production of drugs implemented on the basis of having purchased a licence was a much more common practice than in other national plants. The sixth chapter characterises the production of the PPC in terms of quantity, range, quality, and financial results. Almost all available forms of medicine in Poland at the time were manufactured by Polfa Poznan. The most advanced medicines were therapeutic aerosols, which gained increasing therapeutic significance in the period examined. At different times, the PPC was also the only Polish manufacturer of suppositories, paediatric suspensions and even lozenges. Anti-asthmatic medicines, chemotherapeutic agents, and psychotropic drugs constituted a key group of products with regard to their mode of action. Moreover, a number of parapharmaceuticals and preparations for other purposes were also manufactured. An exemplification of the production conditions and activities undertaken for innovation is undertaken in the final chapter. It discusses the issue of the production of absorbable surgical sutures – catgut and Dexon – which were considered the most recognisable and important products of the plant. Although the Polfa Poznan Pharmaceutical Company cannot be called innovative due to a significant amount of copy works, it represented a high techno logical level on the national scale thanks to efficient management, well-targeted investments, and contacts with science representatives and foreign corporations. As a result, the PPC went through a period of political transformation in Poland without significant problems, quickly adapting to the realities of the free market.