Hermann Adler (medic)

Hermann Friedrich Adler (born November 8, 1841 in Lübeck , † February 21, 1921 in Schleswig ) was a German neurologist and entomologist .

Live and act

Hermann Adler was the son of the lawyer Alexander Adler (* 1805 in Altona ) and his wife Wilhelmine Margaretha, née Völckers. The family's ancestors had lived in Schleswig-Holstein since 1754, where they worked as pastors and lawyers.

Adler grew up on Gut Winningen near Schleswig, which belonged to his father. After visiting the Katharineum in Lübeck from 1858 to 1861, he enrolled on April 18, 1864 to study medicine at Heidelberg University . He later moved to the University of Kiel , where he completed his studies in 1866 with a doctorate to become Dr. med. on "De thoracocentesi nonulla" and received the license to practice medicine. He then worked as a general practitioner in Plön and completed a traineeship at the Schleswig lunatic asylum from October 1869 to December 1870.

During the Franco-Prussian War , Adler fought at the front and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. Then worked for a little more than two years as an assistant doctor on the Sachsenberg in Schwerin . He then moved, initially as the fourth doctor, to the Schleswig-St. Jurgen. He worked here for 43 years before he retired. Since he did not like the associated administrative activities, he turned down the director post offered to him in 1902. When he retired due to increasing hearing loss, he was the secret medical council and deputy director of the facility.

Hermann Adler died unmarried in February 1921. His bride, whom he had wanted to marry during his time in Plön, had died of diphtheria .

Scientific work

Hermann Adler was regarded by colleagues and patients as a pleasant, helpful, respected and popular doctor who dealt with many scientific issues. In the field of neurology, he carefully examined diseases of the spinal cord and brain with the microscope.

As an entomologist, he first described the generation change of gall wasps . To this end, he wrote an important publication that was also published in French and English. In his own fish hatchery, which he had for some time, he researched the development history of fish. In addition, there were studies on fruit and rose cultures. He was also engaged in beekeeping. As part of this work, he is said to have found the reason why turnips sometimes do not give off any nectar.

literature

• Herbert Weidner: Adler, Hermann . in: Schleswig-Holstein Biographical Lexicon . Volume 2. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1971, pp. 16-17