Karl Friedrich Canstatt
Encyclopedia
Karl Friedrich Canstatt was a German physician and medical author. He was one of the pioneers of the modern school of medicine in Germany, and numbered Professor Rudolf Virchow
among his pupils. Canstatt studied at the University of Vienna
and later under Schönlein at Würzburg
, where in 1831 he obtained his doctor's degree. A year later he went to Paris to study Asiatic cholera
, then epidemic in the French capital. His monograph on this disease, published the same year, attracted the attention of the Belgian government, which commissioned him to plan a cholera hospital.
He remained in Brussels
until 1838, when he returned to Regensburg to practice ophthalmology
, in which he had won signal success in Belgium. The same year he was appointed official physician to the provincial law court at Ansbach
, where he remained until 1843. On the death of Hencke (1843) he was called to the University of Erlangen to fill the chair of pathology
. Three years later he was developed tuberculosis
, and thinking that a change of air would benefit him, he went to Pisa
, Italy; but he remained there for a short time only. On his return to Erlangen he died.
Canstatt's greatest service to medicine was the conception and publication of the Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte der Gesammten Medicin Aller Länder, begun in 1841 and continued after Canstatt's death by Professor Virchow. The work next in importance was his Handbuch der Medicinischen Klinik (1841). Other publications were: Die Cholera in Paris (1832); Über die Krankheiten der Choreida (1837); Die Krankheiten des Höheren Alters und Ihre Heilung (1839); a monograph on diseases of the eyes (1841); Die Specielle Pathologie und Therapie, etc. (1841-42); a monograph on Bright's disease (1844); and Klinische Rückblicke und Abhandlungen (1848).
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Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
among his pupils. Canstatt studied at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
and later under Schönlein at Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, where in 1831 he obtained his doctor's degree. A year later he went to Paris to study Asiatic cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, then epidemic in the French capital. His monograph on this disease, published the same year, attracted the attention of the Belgian government, which commissioned him to plan a cholera hospital.
He remained in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
until 1838, when he returned to Regensburg to practice ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
, in which he had won signal success in Belgium. The same year he was appointed official physician to the provincial law court at Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
, where he remained until 1843. On the death of Hencke (1843) he was called to the University of Erlangen to fill the chair of pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
. Three years later he was developed tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, and thinking that a change of air would benefit him, he went to Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Italy; but he remained there for a short time only. On his return to Erlangen he died.
Canstatt's greatest service to medicine was the conception and publication of the Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte der Gesammten Medicin Aller Länder, begun in 1841 and continued after Canstatt's death by Professor Virchow. The work next in importance was his Handbuch der Medicinischen Klinik (1841). Other publications were: Die Cholera in Paris (1832); Über die Krankheiten der Choreida (1837); Die Krankheiten des Höheren Alters und Ihre Heilung (1839); a monograph on diseases of the eyes (1841); Die Specielle Pathologie und Therapie, etc. (1841-42); a monograph on Bright's disease (1844); and Klinische Rückblicke und Abhandlungen (1848).
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