Prof Dr Sci. med Dr Jakov Smodlaka(9/4/1922 in Belgrade, 3/11/1984) finished elementary and secondary school in Belgrade. He enrolled the School of Medicine in Belgrade in 1940, and continued with his studies in 1945, after the World War II. He stayed in Italy in 1942/43 since he had been coercively moved out from Dalmatia. In the first half of 1944, he joined the NOB – National Liberation War. He graduated from the Faculty in 1945. He started his specialist training in internal medicine at the Forth Clinic of the Internal Diseases. In April 1952, he was appointed head of Department of the Internal Diseases in Pec, and thereupon till the end of 1953, he was a director of Djakovica Hospital. He started the specialist training in neuropsychiatry in January 1954 as a physician of the Neuropsychiatry Clinic in Belgrade, and he passed Board Examination with top grades in April 1959. He was appointed assistant-professor in neurology and psychiatry in 1960, and reappointed in 1964. At the beginning of 1965, Faculty Management of the School of Medicine approved his Habilitation work entitled “Difference and similarity of temporal and psychomotor epilepsy”. His reappointment for assistant-professor (in neuropsychiatry at the School of Medicine in Belgrade) was verified by Faculty Board on February 27, 1968. During 1965, as an applicant for the position of associate professor he was approved by the Expert Board for his qualifications, but the election was never realized because the applicant withdrew on his own will. He gained doctoral degree in 1979. After having passed Board Examination in neuropsychiatry, he was focused on the field of electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology; at that time, this field was more and more important in diagnostics of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Dr. Smodlaka was a Head of Department of EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology, which he instituted in 1957. He acquired basics in this field during his advanced training at the Institute of Clinical Neurophysiology with Professor P. Passouant, and subsequently he passed his knowledge on fellow doctors and technicians through a series of seminars and courses. Several times, he participated at congresses in our country and abroad with his papers on EEG. Dr. Smodlaka initiated the institution of the Section of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology at the Serbian Medical Society. At the time of its establishment, he was a secretary and subsequently a chairman; he was an originator of making inter-connections between experts of this specialty in Yugoslavia. He was one of the founders of the Society of EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology at the Yugoslav Medical Association. On his initiative and by his support, several EEG units were established at the neuropsychiatry departments (EEG unit at the School of Medicine in Novi Sad). He was a member of the Serbian Medical Society, member of the Editorial Board of SMS Bulletin “Lekar” (“A Doctor”). He was decorated with Order of National Merit. He was a reserve captain of the Yugoslav National Army. For many years, as an assistant-professor, he delivered lectures in epilepsy, electrodiagnostics of nervous diseases and electroencephalography to medical students.
“The analysis of serial EEG recordings in depressed patients of Psychiatry Hospital in Belgrade verified former attitudes on insignificant or no changes of EEG in depressive psychosis. However, since recordings were done in serial intervals, it was noted that a low percentage of patients had medium and highly manifested electrical changes during psychosis treatment. Thorough comparison demonstrated that these were the patients whose EEG changes could be associated with other pathological conditions which coincided with or preceded the psychosis.” Upon this conclusion reached on August 8, 1969, the Board (consisted of Professor J. Ristic, Miomir Savicevic and Srboljub Stojiljkovic) evaluated positively the application of Jakov Smodlaka to be promoted to associate professor. He was elected extraordinary (part-time) professor in neuropsychiatry in 1980. Since 1983 to 1984, he was a director of the Clinic of Neuropsychiatry in Belgrade.