People have always got sick from various forms of osteoporosis, but even 100 years ago it was a health problem of a small group of people, i.e. those who lived to a very old age or suffered from diseases which are now known to cause secondary osteoporosis, but in the old days virtually untreated, diseases were causing death faster than osteoporotic fractures. The twentieth century, especially the second half, witnessed a significant lengthening of average lifespan, technological progress and civilization acceleration and now osteoporosis occurs as a serious, growing social problem. The problem is noticed by doctors all over the world, including Poland. This study is an attempt to look from the Polish perspective on the progress of medical knowledge and practice in this area.