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.

Max Thorek
Born	(1880-03-10)10 March 1880 Hungary
Died	25 January 1960(1960-01-25) (aged 79) Chicago, Illinois, US
Burial place	Rosehill Cemetery
Education	University of Chicago Rush Medical College
Occupation	Surgeon
Spouse	Fannie "Fim" Unger ​ (m. 1905)​
Children	Phillip Thorek
Honours	Chevalier, Legion of Honour

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.^[1] While Thorek was a student in Budapest, his brother was murdered in an antisemitic pogrom.^[1][2] Thorek's family fled to the United States to escape antisemitism, choosing to settle in Chicago because they had a relative there.^[1]

Although Thorek wished to become a doctor, his parents could not afford the cost of tuition. In response, Thorek learned how to play the snare drum to qualify for a scholarship from the University of Chicago Band.

After graduating from the University of Chicago,^[2] Thorek completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in 1904.^[3] He later worked in obstetrics, gynecology, general, and reconstructive surgery, including at Cook County Hospital.^[4][5]

On April 16, 1905, Thorek married Fannie "Fim" Unger.^[3] Together with Dr. Solomon Greenspahn, they founded the American Hospital in 1911 at 2058 W. Monroe Street.^[1] Their goal was to serve patients based on need, regardless of their ability to pay.^[1] Thorek had a passion for the theater, and was concerned that many performers had nowhere to turn when they fell ill or were hurt. Therefore, in its early years, they devoted the 25-bed hospital specifically to serving the performing arts community.^[1] In 1916, Thorek and Greenspahn moved the hospital to Irving Park Road in Uptown, where it still operates as of 2025, now known as Thorek Memorial Hospital.^[6] The hospital has cared for famous performers such as Mae West, Harry Houdini, Buffalo Bill, the Marx Brothers, Sarah Bernhardt, and Al Jolson.^[6][1]

In the 1930s, Thorek introduced a surgical technique that significantly reduced the mortality rate in gallbladder operations.^[7] In 1935, he founded the International College of Surgeons^[4][1] and was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government in recognition of his contribution to science and his humanitarian work.^[5]

Thorek became an internationally acclaimed amateur photographer during the pictorialist movement, and author of several books on the subject, including Camera Art as a Means of Self-Expression (1947) and Creative Camera Art (1937). In 1943, he published his autobiography entitled A Surgeon's World.^[4][8]

In 1954, Thorek founded the International Museum of Surgical Science in a Gold Coast mansion.^[2]

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.^[1]

Thorek died in Chicago on 25 January 1960. He is buried at Rosehill Cemetery.^[4]

Thorek Mausoleum at Rosehill Cemetery