Wiktor Bross was the chief physician of the clinic established by Jan Mikulicz-Radecki and continued – however not directly – the traditions of his predecessor. In 1958 as the first one in Poland, he conducted surgery on an open heart. In 1961 he imported from the USA a heart-lung machine and conducted heart surgery in the extracorporeal circulation as the first one ever. In 1966 Professor Bross transplanted a kidney from a living donor, and in 1967 he removed a heart aneurysm. They were milestones in development of modern medicine. During global congresses Wrocław was listed as a strong center of thoracic surgery and transplantation. Surgeons from Japan, USA and Canada came to serve their internships there.