Andreas Anagnostakis, ophthalmologist

He was born in Antikythera in 1826. His family had come to the island from Sfakia, Crete. He graduated from the Medical School of the University of Athens in June 1849 and specialized in ophthalmology in Paris and Berlin. He returned to Athens in 1854, where he was appointed director of the Athens Eye Clinic and professor of ophthalmology at the University of Athens. Andreas Anagnostakis invented the simple hand-held ophthalmoscope and contributed to its widespread use as a diagnostic tool. This invention was one of the most important in medical science. In addition to being a great scientist, Anagnostakis was also a poet and writer. He died in Athens in 1897.