Curt Coppers

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Curt Coppers

Curt Cüppers (Konrad Wolfgang Cüppers, born March 18, 1910 in Cologne ; † December 29, 1995 there ) was a German ophthalmologist , also a specialist in neurology and psychiatry . His life's work is particularly shaped by the scientific and clinical achievements in the field of strabology , with which he gave the then still young discipline a national and international status and became one of the greatest experts in this field. Before that, his studies took him via Cologne, Innsbruck and Freiburg im Breisgau to Frankfurt am Main , where he completed his training as an ophthalmologist. From there he moved to the Gießen Eye Clinic in 1951 and, with his work, helped clinic and chair to gain a worldwide reputation as the “Mecca of strabology” in the years to come. In 1966 he took over the chair for ophthalmology at the University Hospital Giessen and held it until his retirement in 1976.

Cüppers' work also included the development of a whole range of new types of examination and treatment devices, the founding of the first German training institute for orthoptists , the introduction of new surgical procedures for strabismus and nystagmus as well as the enforcement of social law recognition of strabismus treatments and the introduction of systematic serial examinations in childhood for early detection of amblyopia .

After his university career, Cüppers worked in his practice in Cologne for a few years.

Life

Cüppers studied medicine in Cologne , Innsbruck and Freiburg . He received his doctorate in Cologne in 1935 and began training as a neurologist and psychiatrist. However, his interest soon turned increasingly to ophthalmology. In 1938/39 he worked in Cologne as an assistant to the ophthalmologist Karl vom Hofe before he was called up for military service. After returning from captivity, Cüppers moved to Frankfurt am Main, where he continued his ophthalmological training with Rudolf Thiel between 1949 and 1951 . Walter Rauh , head of the eye clinic in Gießen, finally brought Cüppers to his house as senior physician in November 1951, where he completed his habilitation in 1954. In 1958 he became an adjunct professor and in 1963 he was appointed to the extraordinary chair for orthoptics, pleoptics and motility disorders of the eye , for which he was the first in Germany to receive a C4 professorship. After Walter Rauh's retirement, Cüppers took over the management of the entire eye clinic in Gießen in 1966 as professor of ophthalmology. In 1976 he retired.

Cüppers was a member of the Nassovia Catholic Student Association in the Cartel Association of Catholic German Student Associations .

Cüppers declined appointments to the University School of Medicine , New York, and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute , Miami / Florida, which he received in 1962 after a lecture tour through the USA .

Strabology

When he started working at the Giessen Eye Clinic, Cüppers worked on topics relating to pupillomotor functions and pupil diagnostics, before he increasingly devoted himself to the problems of squint and its effects on binocular vision and visual acuity . At the same time he began to develop new types of equipment, e.g. the synoptophore and synoptometer, the euthyscope and the visuscope. After he had presented fundamental work on the pathophysiology of strabismus as well as on the diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia in particular , the first training event on the topic of strabismus treatment with 80 participants was held in 1954 on the premises of the Giessen Eye Clinic. Over the years, not only the number of participants grew, but also the interest in internships from home and abroad. With this, Cüppers laid the foundation for the great progress made in strabology in Germany.

Over the years, these beginnings have developed into an educational institution with an international reputation. New diagnostic and therapeutic procedures led to an increased need for appropriately trained specialists and, on Cüppers' initiative, finally to the establishment of the first "training institute for orthoptists" in 1954. In cooperation with the German Ophthalmological Society , he developed corresponding training content and guidelines, which in 1960 for the Federal Republic of Germany came into force and in 1967 resulted in the "State School for Orthoptists".

Cüppers refined the surgical techniques common at the time, especially those of the oblique vertical motors ( musculi obliqui ). He also developed a new method for reducing large convergent near and nystagmus-related fluctuating squint angles: the thread operation , which won him the prestigious von Graefe Prize in 1975 .

Another milestone in Cüppers' life's work in 1963 was the recognition of strabismus diseases and their effects as an illness within the meaning of the Reich Insurance Code (RVO) and thus ensuring that treatment costs were covered by the health insurance companies . In particular, amblyopia and its early detection by means of extensive screenings and preschool examinations should be emphasized. It is not least thanks to his persistent efforts that the squinting blindness has acquired the importance in terms of health policy that was urgently required for the introduction of appropriate series of examinations and the resulting early detection. In this respect, Cüppers has the great merit of having pointed out the enormous importance of amblyopia as a consequence of strabismus and other causes and, ultimately, of having insurers cover the costs of treatment.

Awards and namesake

Cüppers has received numerous honors and awards for his extensive scientific and clinical achievements. Examination devices and surgical procedures are named after him. The following are to be mentioned in extracts:

The Professional Association of Orthoptics Germany (BOD) has been awarding the Cüppers Memorial Prize every four years since 2000 .

Publications

Cüppers published over 100 works and works, including an early standard work Schielen together with Fritz Hollwich in 1961 , which was published by Enke Verlag .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ University Hospital Frankfurt - Clinic for Ophthalmology ( About the Clinic )
  2. ↑ Hönack, Joachim; Schäfer, Gernot (2007): Vivat academia! Student associations at the University of Giessen in the past and present. A contribution to the 400th anniversary of the university and to the city's history; Accompanying volume for the exhibition with short chronicles of the corporations involved. Food: akadpress. P. 189
  3. ↑ a b Felicitas E. Adelstein: Clinic for movement disorders of the eyes and neuroophthalmology. On uni-giessen (GEB - Giessen Electronic Library)
  4. ^ University Hospital Giessen - History
  5. ^ DOG - winner of the von Graefe Prize
  6. ↑ Silver look . In: Der Spiegel, issue 47 from November 18, 1964.
  7. ^ University of Nancy
  8. ^ Bielschowsky Society for Strabismus Research and Neuroophthalmology - Honorary Members
  9. ↑ BOD - Cüppers Memorial Prize
personal data
SURNAME Cuppers, Curt
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cüppers, Konrad Wolfgang
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German medic
DATE OF BIRTH March 18, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Cologne
DATE OF DEATH December 29, 1995
Place of death Cologne