Carl Rüedi

Carl Rüedi (around 1885)

Carl Rüedi (* April 21 (or 23) April 1848 in Davos , Canton of Graubünden ; † June 17, 1901 in Arosa , Canton of Graubünden) was a Swiss pulmonologist and one of the most famous doctors in Graubünden during his lifetime.

Rüedi became known worldwide because he treated the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson in the winters of 1880/81 and 1881/82 . Stevenson praised Rüedi in the dedication to his collection of poems Underwoods (1887) as "the good spirit of the English in its icy mountains".

Life

Origin, childhood and youth

Carl Rüedi was the youngest of eight children of the Graubünden landscape doctor and pioneer of climate therapy Lucius Rüedi and his wife Rahel (née Conrad).

Even in early childhood he is said to have distinguished himself through physical robustness, liveliness and intelligence. At the age of four, Carl Rüedi and his father hiked from Alvaneu (where the family lived) to Davos (Carl's birthplace), 23 kilometers away, in midsummer . When Carl was nine years old, he and two of his brothers who attended the canton school in Chur hiked 55 kilometers from Chur to Davos in one day.

Years of study and first stay in America

In 1866 Carl Rüedi enrolled at the University of Tübingen to study Protestant theology . In the summer of 1867, Rüedi continued his theology studies at the University of Zurich .

Carl's eldest brother Wilhelm had been a doctor in the United States for 12 years . In 1867 Wilhelm came to visit his hometown Zizers (Canton of Graubünden) and suggested that his brothers Carl and Paul follow him to America. The two followed their brother's suggestion and set off for Philadelphia on December 17, 1867 . Paul, a trained physician, opened a doctor's practice there and did not return to his home country until 1882 for a visit. (Paul (born November 19, 1844) had studied medicine in Würzburg (winter 1863/64), Zurich (summer 1864), Munich (summer 1865 - winter 1865/66) and Tübingen (summer 1866).) Under the impression of his two Brothers Carl also began to be interested in medicine .

After the death of his father in 1870, Carl returned to Zizers and in April 1870 began studying medicine at the University of Bern . In the summer of 1871 he moved to the University of Würzburg .

In the winter of 1871/72 and summer of 1872, Carl Rüedi continued his medical studies in Munich. In the winter of 1872/73 he returned to Bern and prepared there for his final exams. In spring 1874 he received his doctorate in medicine and opened a practice in the village of Seewis in the Prättigau (Canton of Graubünden).

Early professional years: Davos

On December 24, 1874, Carl Rüedi received a call as a landscape doctor in Davos, at that time the leading winter health resort in Europe alongside St. Moritz . Rüedi thus held the same post as his father once did. In addition, Rüedi was appointed district doctor. Rüedi had his practice in the Hotel Rhätia .

Rüedi had a private residence built in Davos called Villa Richmond . It was named after the district in New York State where he had spent some time between 1867 and 1870.

On February 26, 1875, Carl Rüedi was elected to the committee of the newly founded Kurverein with two other representatives of the Hotel Rhätia , and on July 30 or 31, 1875, he was also elected treasurer . In 1876, Rüedi was accepted into the Graubünden doctors' association based in Chur.

At that time Davos was already of some importance as a health resort . Due to the growing influx of tuberculosis sufferers who came to Davos, Carl Rüedi had a good living. Within a few years, Rüedi gained an excellent reputation among his patients. At the end of 1878, Rüedi resigned his position as a landscape doctor and concentrated on his work as a private spa doctor .

Rüedi's healing successes were due to a combination of medical skills and the high alpine climate of Davos (1,560 m above sea ​​level ) with its cool, clean and dry air. Rüedi impressed with precise diagnoses, an extraordinarily fine hearing when listening to the airways and extensive knowledge of all types and stages of lung complaints.

Most of Rüedi's clients came from the Anglo-American language area . Thanks to his good command of English , Rüedi achieved a de facto monopoly on these customers within a few years . (As recently as 1875, there were hardly any spa guests who spoke English in Davos.)

Carl Rüedi's popularity among English-speaking patients also contributed to his wife, who came from Scotland ( whose maiden name was Mackenzie ). On June 25, 1879, the couple had a son who was christened John.

Middle Years of Work: Denver

Rüedi was so popular that he reached the limits of his capabilities. In order to let his skills work under less stressful conditions, he emigrated to the USA at the end of April 1891, where he opened a practice in Denver , Colorado . Rüedi chose the city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains because, at 1,609 m above sea level, it is almost the same as Davos. There could be no question of similar climatic conditions in Denver, as Rüedi later admitted.

Pulmonologists in the United States sent wealthy patients for high altitude therapy to sanatoriums in the Swiss Alps (Davos, St. Moritz), in the Giant Mountains ( Görbersdorf ) or in the Adirondack Mountains ( Saranac Lake , New York State). In the Rocky Mountains, on the other hand, there was virtually no medical infrastructure for those suffering from tuberculosis . Apart from a sanatorium in the hamlet of Hygiene (1,553 m above sea level, Boulder County , Colorado), which Rüedi visited in October 1891, there were only primitive covered wagon or tent camps as well as a few pensions and hotels.

In the year of his arrival in America, Carl Rüedi was accepted into the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA) (American Clinical and Climatological Association). Founded in 1884 by doctors and scientists, the professional organization aimed to improve medical education, research and practice in the USA. In its early days, the main focus of the ACCA was on the treatment of tuberculosis through stays in a suitable climate. As a pioneer of applied climatic therapy, Rüedi was one of the most qualified experts on the ACCA's concerns. In 1895 Carl Rüedi gave two lectures at the ACCA.

In the first lecture ( A comparison of the winter health resorts in the Alps with some places in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado ) Rüedi took the view that because of its climate, Colorado could "compete with any other health resort in the world (...)" and that the best climatic conditions would offer to become the "sanatorium of the United States". Rüedi developed the vision of a staggered by sea-level system of health resorts in the Rocky Mountains, in the doctors would send their patients according to disease stage and constitution: From Denver Area either Colorado Springs to 6,000 feet (1,829 m), according to Estes Park on 7,000 feet (2,134 m) or to a location (to be determined by Rüedi) at 8,000 feet (2,439 m). "This would be a health resort (sic!) Like the world has never seen before."

In his second lecture ( A brief look into the future with regard to pathological-anatomical research ), Rüedi criticized the one-sided orientation of the medical guild on cellular pathology , according to which diseases are based on disorders of the body cells and their functions. Rüedi pleaded not only to research the cells and tissues, but also the liquid components of the human body that are outside the cells , in particular the blood serum , the lymph and the tissue fluid . Rüedi said that blood serum analyzes would provide valuable information about which pathological changes (" degenerations ") are to be expected in the cells of the person concerned in the near future and why. “We have to get to the point where we can determine the condition of the blood serum with just a few drops of blood (...). If you had invested as much time in the microchemistry of blood as in the microscope, we would be a good step further with our science. "

Rüedi's hopes for the New World, however, remained unfulfilled. (It is possible that the development of the medical infrastructure was going too slowly for him.) Therefore, Rüedi returned to Switzerland in 1896 after only five years.

Late professional years: Arosa

During his absence, however, the working conditions for doctors in Davos had changed drastically. Due to the limited granting of licenses , the practice of the medical profession was so strictly regulated that even for a capacity like Rüedi there was no longer any prospect of opening a practice.

Instead, Rüedi settled in the small spa town of Arosa (1,775 m above sea level), 13 kilometers west of Davos. In the winter of 1896/97, Rüedi began to practice as a spa doctor in the Grand Hotel Arosa , today's Robinson Club .

However, the development of the village of Arosa was decades behind Davos. The treatment of tuberculosis at high altitude did not find its way until the opening of the first hotel ( Seehof ) in 1880 . And it wasn't until 1888 that the first sanatorium opened its doors. (At that time Arosa no longer had 88 inhabitants.)

The number of Rüedi's patients remained at a disappointingly low level. Because Rüedi was seriously concerned about his financial livelihood, he began to work to increase the attractiveness of Arosa as a health resort. On October 4, 1896, Rüedi was unanimously elected to the local spa association. He regularly took part in the meetings and made numerous proposals, such as the construction of an artificial toboggan run . On June 22, 1897, Rüedi suggested the introduction of street lighting . In November 1900, Rüedi and four of his medical colleagues proposed the establishment of a science club. Every two weeks three academics should discuss a topic of general interest (other than religion and politics ) in front of a public audience .

In his free time, Rüedi also worked as a co-organizer and timepiece for the winter toboggan races . These were mainly held as a spectacle for the tourists .

However, Arosa's main obstacle to development was the lack of convenient transportation to and from the village. At that time, visitors needed several hours by stagecoach to cover the 30 km long route from Chur . Carl Rüedi's greatest concern was therefore to improve the transport links to the Graubünden canton capital.

On September 14, 1897, Rüedi and some other residents of Arosa founded a committee with the aim of widening the narrow road from Chur to Arosa. In 1900 (or shortly before) Carl Rüedi and Schanfigger Landammann Hans Brunold from Peist (1861–1941) petitioned the Grand Council of Graubünden and the Swiss Federal Assembly regarding the construction of an electric railway between Chur and Arosa. (Rüedi's home community Davos has benefited from such a connection for ten years.)

However, Carl Rüedi was no longer able to see the arrival of the first locomotive in Arosa (December 1914). On June 17, 1901, Rüedi died unexpectedly in Arosa at the age of only 53 years.

supporting documents

• Davos leaves . Curzeitung and strangers List , 20. Jg, No. 8, February 21, 1891, p. 1. and 20. Vol., No. 18, May 9, 1891, p. 1.
• Davoser Blätter, Vol. III, No. 30, April 25, 1891, p. 394 f.
• List of foreigners from Arosa, No. 6, November 18, 1900, p. 1.
• The Davos Courier , Vol. XIV, No. 14/15, June 14, 1901, no p.
• Minutes of the Kurverein meeting [from Arosa], June 23, 1901 (manuscript); o. S.
• Davos leaves. Traffic organ for Ragaz, Prättigau, Davos and Engadin; XXX. Vol., No. 25, Davos, June 22, 1901, no p.
• Untitled: All sorts of things from the Chur-Arosa Railway and its prehistory; in: Abendzeitung (Arosa), December 4, 1964; o. S.
• Georges J. Capol: Arosa - from a shepherd's village to a world health resort (2); in: Aroser Zeitung , No. 15, April 14, 1989, p. 15.
• Jules Ferdmann: The Rise of Davos; Verlag Genossenschaft Davoser Revue, 2nd edition, 1990 (1st edition, 1935).
• N / A: Dr. C. Ruedi - doctor in Arosa (handwritten notes from October 4, 1896 to September 14, 1897); owned by the Schanfigger Heimatmuseum , Arosa.
• Hans Danuser: Arosa - as it was then (1850–1907), Vol. 1, self-published by Danuser, Arosa 1997, pp. 54, 115, 167.
• Fritz Maron: From mountain farming village to world health resort Arosa , Verlag F. Schuler, Chur 1934, p. 108 f.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Original wording: "the good genius of the English in his frosty mountains"
2. ↑ In the German Stevenson literature, Carl Rüedi is also written as Karl Rüedi , in the English language mostly Carl Ruedi or Karl Ruedi .
3. ^ Matriculation of the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen: Entry # 37582 .
4. ↑ Matriculation of the University of Zurich: Entry # 3261 Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Filisur (Canton of Graubünden) is given as the place of origin. 
5. ↑ Staff of the royal Bavarian Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg in the winter semester 1863/64, officially published, Würzburg 1864, p. 35
6. ↑ Matriculation of the University of Zurich: Entry # 2745 ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
7. ^ Official directory of the staff of teachers, civil servants and students at the royal Bavarian Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Summer semester 1865, p. 45 ( PDF )
8. ^ Official directory of the staff of teachers, civil servants and students at the royal Bavarian Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Winter semester 1865/66, p. 45 ( PDF ).
9. ^ Matriculation of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen: Entry # 37583 .
10. ↑ Matriculation of the University of Bern: Entry # 2426 (April 25, 1870), exmatriculation on April 21, 1871 Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
11. ^ Staff of the royal Bavarian Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg in the summer semester of 1871; officially published, Würzburg 1871, p. 36.
12. ^ Official directory of the staff of teachers, civil servants and students at the royal Bavarian Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Winter semester 1871/72, p. 46 ( PDF ).
13. ^ Official directory of the staff of teachers, civil servants and students at the royal Bavarian Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. Summer semester 1872, p. 46 ( PDF ).
14. ↑ Matriculation of the University of Bern: Entry # 2742 (October 28, 1872) ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
15. ↑ John later studied medicine himself; see. Matriculation of the University of Zurich: Entry # 13164 Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
16. ↑ "Both these places are at exactly the same altitude, but this is really the only point in which they resemble each other." In: A Comparison of the Winter Healthresorts in the Alps with some Places in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado ; in: Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association 1895, vol. 10, p. 28, PMC 2526879 (free full text)
17. ^ A. McGehee Harvey: The American Clinical and Climatological Association: 1884-1984, p. 49 ( PDF ).
18. ^ A. McGehee Harvey: The American Clinical and Climatological Association: 1884-1984, p. 260 ( PDF )
19. ↑ Original title: A Comparison of the Winter Healthresorts in the Alps with some Places in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado ; in: Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association 1895, vol. 10, pp. 28 - 42, PMC 2526879 (free full text).
20. ↑ Original wording: "(...) we are entitled to compete with any of the health resorts of the world."
21. ↑ The altitude information is not entirely accurate. They come from Rüedi himself and were "nicely rounded" by him for rhetorical purposes
22. ↑ Original wording: "This would be a health resort not known before (...)".
23. ↑ Original title: A Peep into the Future, with Respect of pathological-anatomical Researches ; in: Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association 1895, vol. 11, pp. 47–55, PMC 2526825 (free full text)
24. ↑ In 1858 Rudolf Virchow had published his epochal work "Cellularpathologie" [1] .
25. ↑ Original wording: "(...) to decide what alterations in the cells have to be expected, or to give us an explanation why the different degenerations in the cells take place."
26. ↑ Original wording: “We must get so far that in a few drops of blood we can ascertain the state of the blood-serum (...). If as much labor had been spent on the micro-chemistry of the blood as on the microscope we would be a great deal further on in our science. "