120 years of the Polish Balneological Society. Tradition and modernity

The origins of the Polish Balneological Society go back to 1858, when the Balneological Committee was established as part of the Cracow Scientific Society. It was set up together by Prof. Józef Dietl, Prof. Józef Majer, and Prof. Fryderyk Skobel. The Polish Balneological Society was created on 15 January 1905 in Cracow, and it continues its scientific and organisational activities to this day. The society was set up by Prof. Ludomił Korczyński, Dr Zygmunt Wąsowicz, Dr Stanisław Kwiatkowski, Dr Maksymilian Leon Cercha and Dr Jan Regiec. Cracow was selected to be the Society’s seat as the legacy of Prof. Dietl and his student, Prof. Edward Korczyński, the Jagiellonian University’s Rector, was still alive there. In 1966, the Society became the Polish Association of Balneology, Bioclimatology and Physical Medicine, which is still active today. Its main goals are to promote the scientific achievements in the field of balneology through organising conferences and meetings. Scientific papers are published in Acta Balneologica. The articles published in this bimonthly journal include peer-reviewed original papers, review papers, and case studies concerning thermal medicine: balneology, bioclimatology, balneochemistry, hydrogeology, and physical medicine – physiotherapy as well as rehabilitation. Acta Balneologica provides media patronage for many scientific medical events every year. The journal is indexed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Index Copernicus, Web of Science (ESCI), and the Polish Medical Bibliography. Acta Balneologica is published under the patronage of the Committee for Rehabilitation, Physical Culture and Social Integration of the Polish Academy of Sciences.