In memory of Prof. Dr. med. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf12 June 1931–7 March 2015

On 7 March 2015, Prof. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf died at the age of 83. His students, companions and friends are deeply affected and his family has our sympathy. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf was a great person, an outstanding surgeon and an inspiring and dynamic clinical researcher. He was a visionary in national and international thoracic surgery. All who came into contact with him were impressed with his vibrancy, charisma and humility. His outstanding leadership abilities, his ability to excite people, his humanity and his high standard of seeing the patient as the focal point moved us and made an impression on us. This is unforgettable and irreplaceable. He will live on in our daily work! Born in Hamburg on 12 June 1931, Vogt-Moykopf's childhood was shaped by World War II and its aftermath. After studying in Freiburg and Heidelberg, he began his surgical education with K.H. Bauer and Fritz Linder. K.H. Bauer sparked his interest in tumour surgery, and Fritz Linder showed him, using the Heidelberg University Clinic as an example, how a modern department system is formed through systematic development, which is a basic requirement for a specialization. As part of his education and advancement with Fritz Linder, Vogt-Moykopf spent time abroad in Sweden, England, France and the USA. From 1972 until 1996, Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf was the medical director of the Heidelberg Thoracic Clinic, Rohrbach. With his drive, the clinic developed from a tuberculosis clinic into a nationally and internationally valued modern centre for thoracic medicine. With the integration of the clinic into the Heidelberg–Mannheim Tumor Center in 1978, long-term oncology research could be planned and conducted. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf was a visionary, a pioneer and a master of thoracic surgery. His specific areas of interest were oncology surgery, tracheal surgery and pulmonary artery and bronchial sleeve resection. The surgery of metastases and pleural mesotheliomas received groundbreaking momentum from him. His corrective operations on the tracheas of infants and small children were spectacular. The lifework of Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf received broad national and international recognition. In addition to honorary memberships in diverse international societies, he was a founding and governing member of the SEP (Societas Europeana Pneumologia) and took part in its fusion with the ERS (European Respiratory Society). Vogt-Moykopf received an award as part of his membership in the French National Academy of Surgery. He was also a founding member and treasurer of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS) in 1986. The equality of cardiac and thoracic surgery was the highest goal. From 1989 to 1991, Vogt-Moykopf served as the President of the German Society for Cardiac, Thoracic, and Pulmonary Surgery. In 1991, he was the founding president of the German Society for Thoracic Surgery (DGT), and in 1993 he was the founding president in Heidelberg for the European Society for Thoracic Surgery (ESTS). He served as a representative for thoracic surgery on the steering committee for the German Society of Surgery from 1994 to 1999, which honoured him with honorary membership in 2004. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf's vision and goal was a national and international independently organized thoracic surgery. Only in this position could he see the further development of oncology and thoracic surgery in an academic and clinical way. He was a relentless fighter of this goal. With this, he achieved a stable foundation for the future of thoracic surgery. The 1200 current members of the ESTS are impressive proof. Only a national and international exchange of results and experiences can stabilize and establish a professional society. His high number of contributions to books and publications prove this. For 5 years, he was the editor of ‘International Trends in General Thoracic Surgery’. The school of thought founded by Vogt-Myokopf has produced an impressive number of highly qualified thoracic surgeons. His followers, meanwhile, hold prominent positions across the country. The strategies and high technical operating standards developed by Vogt-Moykopf are mandatory. The Thoracic Clinic in Heidelberg, Rohrbach was a meeting point for national and international guests. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf demonstrated the strategy and technique for advanced lung resection. His daily rapport, in which he graphically set the scene for the daily operation programme, through discussions about operation techniques and strategies with radiologists, pathologists, oncologists and pulmonologists, is unforgettable. A more well-founded education and professional development cannot be practised and lived. The high points in his surgical life were cooperative operations with Nael Martini in New York and F. Griffith Pearson in Toronto. His eyes lit up when he talked about these moments. Vogt-Moykopf was a religious man. According to the Bible, the medical profession cannot be compared with any other. It has a direct relationship with God. ‘I am the Lord, who heals you’ (Exodus 15: 26), said God to Moses during the Israelites' desert journey. For him, healing had its beginning in God. Only through God's guidance was healing possible. His actions were influenced by the highest feelings of responsibility to the patients. For him, correct behaviour was natural, but his ethos went above and beyond care and commitment for the patients. Such a passion cannot be learned and is not founded in surgical techniques or knowledge learned at the university. Instead, it is a gift. The Bible speaks of charisma. Charisma is not given so that a person can play to the crowd. Charisma has a service function. Therefore, Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf knew, despite his exceptional gifts, to humbly ask for power from above. In no way was he overflowing with self-confidence, but rather he self-critically questioned treatment methods and abilities. He constantly questioned and corrected his actions. The impetus for these thoughts came from the funeral sermon of Pater Benedikt, Heidelberg, Neuberg Monestary. A good name has its price. This counts not only for the person building the name but also for others: the wife, the children, the family and friends. The death of a loved person should leave no resentment. We all have the choice to see the positive, to emphasize the benefits and to be thankful from the bottom of our hearts for what we achieved together. With respect and thankfulness, we look back at a wonderful life's work. Because of him, thoracic surgery gained a future. Ingolf Vogt-Moykopf will live on in our hearts.

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