In memoriam: Professor Karel Horký.

617 a DSc degree. He was twice a visiting scientist at the Clinical Research Institute in Montreal, Canada (1969–1970, 1984), where he was work‐ ing on endocrine and metabolic aspects of hy‐ pertension. Upon return to Prague, he founded the Laboratory for Endocrine and Metabolic Re‐ search at the Third Department of Internal Med‐ icine, and became head of this unit. He went on to become the head of the Second Department of Internal Medicine in 1990, and contributed to the development of the department until re‐ tirement in 1998. Following his retirement, Pro‐ fessor Horký served as professor emeritus and was an active personality in scientific societies. He was a president of the Czech Society of Inter‐ nal Medicine (1991–2005), and earlier, he was a president of the Czech Society of Hyperten‐ sion (1994–1998). He passed away on August 11, 2016, in Prague. Professor Karel Horký authored more than 450 original papers and about 15 handbooks and monographs. Still a student, he was attracted to clinical pharmacology by Professor Jiří Štefl (1904–1961). Professor Štefl was famous for se‐ ceding from the Communist Party to protest against political show trials. He was prosecuted and finally he lost the university position dur‐ ing incompetent Masaryk University manage‐ ment purges during these times. Interestingly, he was also an author of a few novels. In Prague, Professor Horký worked under the auspices of the famous Professor Josef Charvát (1897–1984), founder of the Third Department of Internal Med‐ icine in Prague and a great endocrinologist as well as author of several philosophical works. Profes‐ sor Josef Charvát was an honorary member of the Polish Society of Internal Medicine. Endo‐ crinological and metabolic research of Professor Horký was fruitfully carried out under the super‐ vision of Professor Jacques Genest (born 1919) in Montreal. They were working on the role of so‐ dium, aldosterone, and angiotensin II in the re‐ nin–angiotensin system in arterial hyperten‐ sion as well as on the natriuretic factor present in the heart atria. Professor Horký conducted research until the last years of his life, focusing Great sadness and deep affection marked the re‐ cent passing of Professor Karel Horký, a great Czech internist, great mind, an honorary mem‐ ber of the Polish Society of Internal Medicine, and a long ‐time friend of mine. Professor Karel Horký was born in Brno (Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) on May 9, 1933. He completed a high school in Třebíči. In 1951, he entered the Medical Faculty of the Ma‐ saryk University in Brno, and he graduated from the university in 1957. For 3 years, he worked at the Regional Hospital in Děčín. There he re‐ ceived the first degree of board certification in internal medicine. In 1960, he moved to Prague and started his professional career as an assis‐ tant at the Third Department of Internal Medi‐ cine of the Charles University. There be obtained the second degree of board certification in in‐ ternal medicine (1964) and completed his PhD thesis (1966), and later, in 1984, he received MEMORIAL ARTICLE