Max Thorek

Max Thorek (10 March 1880 – 25 January 1960) was a Hungarian-American surgeon best known for founding Thorek Memorial Hospital, the International College of Surgeons, and the International Museum of Surgical Science.

Biography Max Thorek was born to a Jewish family in rural Hungary. Both his parents were doctors: his father was a physician and his mother was a mid-wife with a degree in obstetrics. While Thorek was a student in Budapest, his brother was murdered in an antisemitic pogrom. Thorek completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in 1904. He later worked in obstetrics, gynecology, general, and reconstructive surgery, including at Cook County Hospital.

On April 16, 1905, Thorek married Fannie "Fim" Unger. The hospital has cared for famous performers such as Mae West, Harry Houdini, Buffalo Bill, the Marx Brothers, Sarah Bernhardt, and Al Jolson. In 1935, he founded the International College of Surgeons

In 1954, Thorek founded the International Museum of Surgical Science in a Gold Coast mansion.

Unfortunately, despite his many contributions to society, Thorek continued to endure antisemitic discrimination even after moving to the United States. In 1930, for instance, Thorek was forced to file a lawsuit against the 3920 Lake Shore Drive Building Corporation for refusing to allow his family to move into an apartment they owned because they were Jewish.

Thorek died in Chicago on 25 January 1960. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery.