Society of Doctors in Vienna

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Plenary meeting of the Society of Doctors in Vienna, 1906

The Society of Physicians in Vienna is the club one of the most traditional medical companies in Austria. The association sees its main task in the further training of medical professionals. Seat of the association is the Billrothhaus in the 9th Viennese district of Alsergrund .

The main task laid down in the statutes is the further training of medical professionals and the presentation of new medical research results. To this end, it organizes scientific events, runs a library and publishes videos for medical training.

Until his death in spring 2020, the nuclear medicine specialist Helmut Sinzinger was President of the Society of Doctors in Vienna.

history

Medical Association and Medical Forum

Franz Wirer

Even 35 years before the association was founded, there were meetings of younger doctors, which primarily served the purpose of professional exchange and can therefore be seen as the cornerstone for the formation of the association. The medical association was founded in 1802 by Johann Anton Heidmann (1775–1855). Members subscribed to medical journals and passed them on to other members. The findings were discussed in weekly meetings in Heidmann's apartment. The members included well-known personalities such as Johann Malfatti , in whose apartment the meetings were postponed from 1804, Ludwig Freiherr von Türkheim (1777-1846), Franz Wirer and Johann Friedrich Osiander . This association published an annual health paperback for the Viennese population. At the beginning of the 1830s, parallel to the doctors 'association, a doctors' forum was formed, which also included very prominent doctors, such as Ignaz Rudolf Bischoff , professor at the Josephinum, Johann Hassinger, who later became a general staff doctor, Heinrich Herzfelder, later primary doctor in the Israelite hospital, Ludwig Wilhelm Mauthner von Mauthstein , the founder of the St. Anna Children's Hospital and the first professor of paediatrics, as well as the general practitioner Rudolph von Vivenot . Similar to the Doctors 'Association, the Doctors' Forum met to discuss their subscribed magazines, but also to talk about medical practice.

Beginnings of the Society of Doctors in Vienna

Auditorium of the old University of Vienna: first seat of the Society of Doctors, today seat of the Academy of Sciences
Theodor Billroth

Franz Wirer and Ludwig Türkheim, both former rectors of the university, were the driving forces behind the founding of the company. However, they were only able to achieve this in 1836, when Hofrat Andreas Joseph von Stifft died, who had forbidden the establishment of such an organization. Their declared aim was to go beyond the goals of the medical association to promote medicine as an art and science. It was also intended to serve as a platform to discuss the cholera epidemic prevailing at the time. The goals of the association changed over time. As early as 1839, the main purpose of the association was changed in the statutes, so that from then on the association dedicated itself to the “promotion of medicinal science” and its auxiliary sciences. Later, through the establishment of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1847, the focus of the medical sciences was divided between these two institutions: While the theoretical sciences such as physics , chemistry , anatomy and physiology were discussed in the Academy of Sciences and published in the "memorandum" The Society of Doctors in Vienna deals with pathological and experimental anatomy, medicinal chemistry and, above all, clinical medicine. The influence of the Society of Doctors and the Academy of Sciences also led the medical faculty to evolve away from a mere training facility for doctors and increasingly turn to science and research.

In 1837 the founding of the association was officially approved. The founding members included not only Franz Wirer, Ludwig Untertürkheim and Johann Malfatti also general practitioners Gerhard Brants and Joseph of Vering, director of the General Hospital Franz Xaver Güntner , the professor of pathology and pharmacy Leopold Franz Herrmann, climatologist Rudolph of Vivenot , the President of the Faculty Johann Nepomuk von Raimann and the professors at the Josephine Academy Friedrich Jäger and Ignaz Rudolf Bischoff .

The first president was Johann Malfatti , who was replaced by Franz Wirer in 1841 and remained chairman until his death. The number of full members was initially limited to 40 by the statutes, but has steadily increased over time (e.g. in 1839 to 100 members, 1859 to 200 members).

One of the goals of the association was the establishment of a library, which has been continuously expanded over time and today represents one of the largest private medical-scientific book collections in the world. The first librarian of the library (still to be built) was the district doctor Hermann Hieronymus Beer from 1840. The second president of the Franz Wirer association made a significant contribution when he bequeathed his private library to the Society of Doctors in Vienna. The records of the scientific meetings of the society were consistently documented and initially published in the in-house journal of the kk Gesellschaft der Ärzte , which was later replaced by the Vienna clinical weekly under the association's president Heinrich Bamberger .

Under the presidency of Wirer, the members of the association were divided into four sections: Pharmacology, Pathology, Hygiene and Therapy. The members were free to choose which section they would like to join. The sections dealt mainly with the subjects assigned to them. The formation of the sections increased the number of meetings held per year to 40 to 45. After the sections were later closed, this frequency fell again to 25 to 35 per year.

Second Vienna Medical School

Carl Rokitansky

When Carl Rokitansky was elected President of the Society of Doctors in 1850, the association turned more and more to scientific topics, which led medicine to take a new direction and ushered in the era of the Second Vienna Medical School . This period of change is inextricably linked with Carl Rokitansky, Joseph Skoda and Ferdinand Hebra . It marks the dawn of medicine from the age of natural philosophy into the time shaped by scientific knowledge, in which connections between clinical manifestations and pathological substrate are sought.

During the First World War , the difficulties of the war led to a sharp decline in the number of scientific sessions, the content of which mainly revolved around the epidemics, diseases and injuries caused by the war.

Under the National Socialist regime, the collapse of the association came in 1938 due to the enforcement of a law according to which all clubs, organizations and associations had to be run in a National Socialist manner. The acting head at that time was NSDAP member Adolf Irtl. A few weeks later the “Vienna Medical Society” was founded. Otto Planner-Plan was appointed as chairman (not elected). She essentially took over the tasks of the Society of Doctors, although the lectures were generally rare due to the war.

After the Second World War

The end of World War II was synonymous with the end of the Vienna Medical Society. Shortly thereafter, Leopold Arzt , head of the first university dermatology clinic, set about re-establishing the Society of Doctors at the request of Viktor Matejka . During these efforts it turned out that the former assets of the company could not be found and that the library had been housed in a barn in Peigarten near Waidhofen an der Thaya to protect it from bombing , where it was at risk from moisture and theft. The Billrothhaus was also damaged by fighting. Through donations of members of the funds to repair the damage and to ensure the library could be applied.

In the first plenary session, Wolfgang Denk was elected President of the Society, but it was not until April 1946 that the establishment of the association was officially approved. The Springer-Verlag took over the publication of the Viennese clinical weekly revue , whose appearance had been set 1945th Wolfgang Denk was replaced in 1968 by the gynecologist Tassilo Antoine , who held this position until 1977. From 1977 to 1982 Otto Novotny took over the presidency. Karl Hermann Spitzy , who achieved international fame through his research on penicillin , was President of the Society from 1982 to 1991. Spitzy was replaced by the former rector and dean of the medical faculty Wilhelm Holczabek . Together with Harald Kritz, Holczabek advanced the modernization of the Society of Doctors and initiated projects to digitize journals. Since Holczabek died in office on July 17, 2001, Sepp Leodolter took over the presidency in the same year. Leodolter opened the Billrothhaus and around 2004 had the archive room cleared and converted into a seminar room. In 2007, Karlheinz Tragl elected president and from Franz Kainberger replaced in the 2011th From 2015 to 2019 the radiologist Walter Hruby was President of the Society of Doctors in Vienna. The nuclear medicine specialist Helmut Sinzinger was elected President in 2019 and held this office until his death in spring 2020.

Scientific and social medicine activities

Scientific discussions

The main function of the society was to hold lectures and panel discussions in which health problems and the latest scientific knowledge were discussed. In the founding years, the focus was on infectious diseases such as tuberculosis , typhoid , plague , foliage , erysipelas and Lyssa , but the cholera epidemic in particular posed a challenge for the medical profession at the time. Some important discoveries and inventions by members of the Society of Physicians found their way into the clinic or even into the state order. In 1843, for example, Karl Eduard Hammerschmidt presented a sphygmometer - a new type of device with which one could analyze the heartbeat and arterial pulse (forerunner of today's blood pressure monitor ). The Pharmacology Section formed a committee in 1849 to draw up pharmacy regulations for the Austrian imperial state in order to prevent the sale of drugs by materialists and herbalists.

Many lectures dealt with puerperal fever , which was feared because of the high mortality rate. An important role in these discussions was played by Johann Klein , at whose clinic the medical students completed the obstetrics internship with unwashed hands after the body was opened . For this reason, Klein had arguments with Ignaz Semmelweis , who blamed this behavior for the childbed fever. In 1845 and 1848 , in the in-house journal of the Imperial and Royal Society of Doctors, Ferdinand Hebra called on doctors to take Semmelweis' observations seriously and to review them. Finally, in 1850, Ignaz Semmelweis himself gave a lecture on his observations.

In order to solve the problem of the increasing water demand in Vienna, the " Three-Source-Project " was implemented on the recommendation of the Society of Doctors, which was supposed to secure the fresh water supply by deriving the sources of Stixenstein , Kaiserbrunn and the Alta , and in 1873 by Kaiser Franz Joseph was opened. Since the supply of the residents of Vienna with clean drinking water was secured, there was a drastic decline in cholera cases, which had previously led to several epidemics in Vienna due to unclean water from domestic wells and the Danube Canal.

After the re-establishment of the association after the Second World War, the scientific topics in the discussion groups were shaped by advances in antibiotic and radiation therapy , surgery and the introduction of cortisone as an anti-rheumatic therapy.

From the year 2000, in addition to the usual medical-scientific topics, discussions about medical studies in Austria became more important, the educational system of which has come under increasing criticism.

therapy

After a discussion about bungling , there was a call to educate the population more about therapeutic measures. Two outstanding therapeutic advances can be traced back to the Society of Doctors: On the one hand, there was a lot of discussion and experimentation about the use of electrical current as a therapeutic aid, and on the other hand, a laboratory for chemical analysis was set up in the General Hospital on their initiative. This laboratory led to a multitude of findings, for example about the pathomechanism of diabetes . Florian Heller presented a reagent for determining the sugar content in urine, which found its way into the clinic. In 1874, the laboratory was expanded into a state-of-the-art chemical laboratory, and in 1889, under Ernst Freud, it became an innovative research facility, which provided further knowledge in the areas of blood coagulation , the protective function of cell membranes , the self-digestion of the stomach , and the effect of insulin and other processes.

During this time, numerous discoveries were made, especially in microbiology and surgery. There were first reports of endocrinology and diabetes mellitus. Many subjects experienced an upswing such as orthopedics , anesthesia ( through Carl Koller's discovery of the local anesthetic effects of cocaine ), biochemistry , serology and bacteriology. The invention of the larynx mirror by Ludwig Türck , who later became the first full professor of laryngology , marked the birth of endoscopy . This first endoscope was continuously developed, so that in 1879 a device for examining the urethra and bladder was presented at a meeting of the Society of Doctors - the Nitze-Leiter cytoscope. Further modifications ultimately led to the first attempts at esophago- and gastroscopy by Carl Stoerk and to perfection by Joseph Leiter and Johann Mikulicz-Radecky . This ultimately led to the world's first gastroscopically confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Another project of the company was the construction of a hospital in Mariahilf (on the spot where the Archduchess Sophien Hospital stands today). Construction was approved and started, but then came to a standstill due to the First World War .

The discovery of the tuberculosis pathogen by Robert Koch led to enormous advances in the treatment of this disease. The Society of Doctors formed a committee for the prophylaxis and control of tuberculosis from its members and finally published a report which covered four main points: educating the population, combating disposition through better hygienic facilities, preventing infections and measures for detection and healing through bacteriological examination methods, through support of the sick and their families and through mediation of tolerable work. Also on the basis of this report and a further questioning of the Society of Doctors in 1913 by the Minister of the Interior, the Kuppelwieser project was realized: a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis.

When Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen wrote a letter to Franz Exner on the New Year of 1896 to tell him about his discovery - X-rays - it led to intensive research in this area. Just a few days later (before Röntgen himself could present his discovery in Würzburg ), the first X-ray image of a shotgun wound was presented at a meeting of the Society of Doctors. As early as February 1896, the world's first X-ray atlas was brought onto the market by Josef Maria Eder and Eduard Valenta . The world's first angiogram was also made in Vienna by Eduard Haschek and the idea of using X-rays as radiation therapy came from Leopold Freund , who used it to treat an animal fur nevus with great success .

research

In 1901 an article by Karl Landsteiner with the title On agglutination phenomena of normal human blood appeared in the Wiener clinical Wochenschrift , in which he reported on his research and thus laid the foundation of blood typology, which fundamentally changed the worldview of medicine. Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize in 1939 for the discovery of the A, B and 0 blood group system (which are only mentioned in a footnote in the work) .

Seat of the company

Billrothhaus from the outside

The meetings initially took place in the consistorial hall of the old university, but the meetings were dependent on the other university appointments, the establishment of a library was not possible and the ever-increasing crowd of listeners led to a lack of space. For this reason, the association moved into the fourth floor of the cathedral chapter on Stephansplatz in 1841 , where a library and reading room were also set up. Further moves followed until 1855, when the ministry provided a free apartment on Teinfaltstrasse, where the club's headquarters remained for almost 40 years. On July 23, 1893, the last move to the newly built society house at Frankgasse 8, today's Billrothhaus , took place, where the Society of Doctors can still be found today. This house also houses the association's own library .

Projects

magazine

The association's first own magazine - negotiations of the kk society of doctors - was put into print in 1842 by the publishing house “Braumüller und Seidel” and was replaced in 1845 by the magazine of the kk society of doctors in Vienna . The paper appeared monthly and contained the articles of the most important papers of the scientific meetings. In 1855 a weekly journal was added: The weekly journal of the journal of the kk Gesellschaft der Ärzte published the current reports and minutes of the scientific and administrative meetings.

In 1870 both magazines were replaced by Medicinische Jahrbucher and by the Anzeiger der kk Gesellschaft der Ärzte . From 1888 both journals were finally replaced by Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift , in which all publications by the members of the Society of Doctors were henceforth printed. Today the Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift is a bilingual scientific journal that deals primarily with clinical medicine and medical-social areas such as ethics , social medicine and the history of medicine.

Library

The establishment of a library was considered one of the most important goals of the Society of Physicians. Since it was founded, the stock of books has grown continuously through donations and barter transactions, as well as contributions from members. Today the Billrothhaus houses one of the most valuable specialist libraries in the world.

  • The reading room for the large and small library in the Billrothhaus

  • The small library in the Billrothhaus

  • The large library in the Billrothhaus

Awards

The Society of Doctors in Vienna awards some prizes and awards to people who have made a name for themselves in medicine.

Karl Hermann Spitzy Prize

This prize was awarded every two years to the best clinically relevant work in the field of infectious diseases and antimicrobial therapy that was ready for publication. It has not been awarded since 2002.

Wilhelm Auerswald Prize

In recognition of the meritorious work of the dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna, Wilhelm Auerswald (1917–1981), Professor of Physiology, the Wilhelm Auerswald Prize is awarded annually to the best dissertation accepted at an Austrian medical faculty . Sanofi-aventis GmbH has sponsored the award since 2017 with EUR 2,500 each

Otto Kraupp Prize

The Otto Kraupp Prize has been awarded since 1999 in memory of Otto Kraupp (1920–1998), professor of pharmacology and toxicology and long-time dean of the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna. The prize is awarded annually to the best medical habilitation accepted at an Austrian university . The prize money is EUR 6,000 and is provided by Siemens Healthineers.

Rudolf Höfer Prize

This prize is named after Rudolf Höfer (born 1923), the founder and pioneer of nuclear medicine in Austria and professor of nuclear medicine. The prize has been awarded since 2015, supported by DSD-Pharma GmbH and, once a year, in cooperation with all Austrian medical universities, honors the best publication in connection with the "Use of radioactive isotopes in clinics and research in Austria". The candidates are selected by an independent jury.

Theodor Billroth Medal

Since 1946 the association has also awarded the Theodor Billroth Medal for special merits in medicine and science or in the society of doctors. Previous sponsors are:

Nobel Prize Winner among the members

  • Robert Bárány (1876–1936) received the Nobel Prize in 1914 for his work and findings on the organ of equilibrium
  • Fritz Pregl (1869–1930) received the Nobel Prize in 1923 for his method of microanalysis
  • Julius Wagner-Jauregg (1857–1940) received the Nobel Prize in 1927 for discovering the importance of the malaria vaccination
  • Karl Landsteiner (1868–1943) received the Nobel Prize in 1939 for his discovery of the A, B and 0 blood group characteristics and the Rhesus factor
  • Otto Loewi (1873–1961) received the Nobel Prize in 1936 together with Henry Dale for the discovery of the chemical transmission of nerve impulses through the "vagus substance" ( acetylcholine )
  • Adolf Butenandt (1903-1995) received the Nobel Prize in 1939 together with Leopold Ruzicka for his work in the field of steroid hormones
  • Carl Ferdinand Cori (1896–1984) received the Nobel Prize in 1947 together with his wife Gerty Theresa Cori (1896–1957) for the discovery of the catalytic glycogen metabolism
  • Max Ferdinand Perutz (1914–2002) received the Nobel Prize in 1962 together with John Cowdery Kendrew for his work on the determination of blood pigment
  • Manfred Eigen (1927) received the Nobel Prize in 1967 together with Ronald Norrish and George Porter for the investigation of extremely fast chemical reactions caused by disturbances of the equilibrium caused by short intrinsic impulses
  • Karl von Frisch (1886–1982) received the Nobel Prize in 1973 together with Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen for their discoveries on the organization and triggering of individual and social behavioral patterns
  • Konrad Lorenz (1903–1989) received the Nobel Prize in 1973 together with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch for his genetic studies

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Society of Doctors. About us. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 6, 2013 ; Retrieved September 5, 2013 . 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / billrothhaus.at
  2. ↑ About us, Society of Doctors. Retrieved March 24, 2019 .
  3. ^ Obituary: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Sinzinger, 1948 - 2020, Society of Doctors. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .
  4. ^ Isidor Fischer: History of the Society of Doctors in Vienna: 1837-1937 . Ed .: Society of Doctors Vienna. Springer, 1938.
  5. ^ Wilhelm Holczabek: The Society of Doctors in Vienna. (PDF; 31 kB) Place of information and the exchange of ideas. Society of Doctors in Vienna, January 20, 2008, pp. 1–2 , accessed on October 8, 2013 .
  6. ^ Negotiations of the Imperial Society of Doctors in Vienna . First volume (1842/44). Braumüller and Seidel, Vienna ( onb.ac.at [accessed on August 18, 2013]).
  7. ↑ a b Karl Heinz Tragl: Chronicle of the Vienna hospitals . Böhlau, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-205-77595-9 .
  8. ^ Wiener Zeitung . Austrian Imperial Vienna Newspaper. August 17, 1948.
  9. ^ A. Wiedmann: The re-establishment of the Society of Doctors in Vienna . In: Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift . tape 58 . Vienna 1946, p. 13-14 .
  10. ^ Official Journal of the City of Vienna. February 27, 1946.
  11. ^ A b c Karl Heinz Tragl: History of the Society of Doctors in Vienna since 1838, as the history of medicine in Vienna . Böhlau, 2011, ISBN 978-3-205-78512-5 .
  12. ^ Obituary: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Sinzinger, 1948 - 2020, Society of Doctors. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .
  13. ↑ A. Drenning: The I. Vienna high spring water pipeline . Jugend und Volk, Vienna 1973, ISBN 3-7141-6829-X .
  14. ↑ Ludwig Türck: The larynx mirror and the method of its use . In: Journal of the Kaiser. royal Society of Doctors in Vienna . No. 26 , 1858, pp. 401-409 .
  15. ↑ Max Nitze: A new observation and observation method for the urethra, urinary bladder and rectum . In: Wiener medical Wochenschrift . No. 29 , 1871.
  16. ↑ Carl Stoerk: The examination of the esophagus with the larynx mirror . In: Wiener Medical Wochenschrift . No. 31 , 1881.
  17. ^ Johann Mikulicz-Radecki: About gastroscopy and esophagoscopy . In: Centralblatt für Chirurgie . No. 43 , 1881.
  18. ^ Günther Seydl: History of gastroenteroscopy . In: Vienna's role in the history of gastroenterology . Literas University Press, 2002.
  19. ^ Society of Doctors (ed.): Report on the 64th year of society 1900-1901 . Vienna.
  20. ↑ A sensational discovery . In: The press . Vienna January 5, 1896, p. 1-2 , col. 3 ( online [accessed August 18, 2013]).
  21. ↑ Konrad Weiss: In memoriam Leopold Freund . In: Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift . No. 59 . Springer, Vienna 1947.
  22. ↑ Karl Landsteiner: About agglutination phenomena of normal human blood . In: Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift . Vienna 1901.
  23. ↑ Vienna Clinical Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2013 .
  24. ^ Tragl, History of Society d. Doctors in Vienna, p. 160 u. 272
  25. ^ Tassilo Antoine in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
  26. ^ Hubert Kunz in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
  27. ^ Tragl, History of Society d. Doctors in Vienna, p. 261 u. 277
  28. ^ Obituary: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Sinzinger, 1948 - 2020, Society of Doctors. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .