Johann Jakob Hartenkeil

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Johann Jakob Hartenkeil, copper engraving v. F. Bollinger, 1801

Johann Jakob Hartenkeil (born January 28, 1761 in Mainz ; † June 7, 1808 in Salzburg ) was a Salzburg doctor of the late 18th century, personal physician to Prince Archbishop Colloredos , surgeon and professor of medicine at the University of Salzburg .

He reformed the Salzburg medical system in the spirit of the Enlightenment and initiated the establishment of a medical faculty. He achieved national importance as the editor of the Medicinisch-Chirurgische Zeitung , one of the leading medical journals in the German-speaking area at the time.

Life

Hartenkeil came from a respected bourgeois family in Mainz and, at the request of his parents, was supposed to embark on a spiritual career as a Jesuit . After the order was canceled in 1773, Hartenkeil decided to study medicine. In Würzburg he belonged to the circle of students around the renowned Carl Caspar von Siebold , who convinced him of the need to also acquire surgical knowledge. At that time, that was by no means the norm for an academically trained doctor. The main focus of a graduate medical doctor was internal medicine, while surgery was classified as a craft activity and left to non-academic surgeons, bathers and field shearers. At Siebold, Hartenkeil got to know various new surgical techniques, such as the extraction of cataracts or the removal of bladder stones . In 1781 Siebold sent the talented Hartenkeil to Strasbourg for further surgical training.

Even before Hartenkeil finished his studies in 1784, Siebold recommended him to the Salzburg ruler, Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo , who offered him a position as court and personal surgeon. After completing his degree, Colloredo made it possible for his young personal surgeon to study several times at medical facilities in Paris and London. Hartenkeil, for his part, introduced cataract surgery in London using the "Guérinian instrument", which was still unknown in England at the time. In autumn 1787 he began his service in Salzburg, where in the following years he worked with all his might on the reform of the inadequate medical system and campaigned for better medical care and education for the Salzburg population.

Little information is available about Hartenkeil's private life. In 1791 he married Anna Walburga Aulinger and lived with her on Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse, and later on Getreidegasse. The couple remained childless and took in two of Hartenkeil's nephews, who would later inherit the considerable fortune of the economically successful doctor.

Hartenkeil is described by his contemporaries as active and vital, but he was often, as they say, plagued by "rheumatic and athritic affections"; In the last years of his life he suffered from breathing problems and finally died at the age of only 48 from so-called convulsive breathing addiction. His grave is in the St. Sebastian cemetery in Salzburg .

Grave of JJ Hartenkeil in the St. Sebastian Cemetery in Salzburg, crypt no.69

Personal physician to the Prince Archbishop - First medical reforms

Since Paracelsus and until Colloredo's reign, there were hardly any well-known doctors working in Salzburg. Therefore, the Archbishopric was below the general standard in comparison with other principalities. At the end of the 18th century, the city of Salzburg had around 16,000 inhabitants (city and country around 200,000) and only eleven practicing academic doctors - seven in the city, four in the country, who mainly looked after the wealthy patients. The common people were dependent on traditional home medicine or on the services of baths, surgeons and cattle doctors.

Colloredo - open to the ideas of the Enlightenment - carried out reforms in many areas of the state. He had brought Hartenkeil to Salzburg as a personal surgeon, but also with the clear mandate that he "trained qualified and skilled surgeons and obstetricians for the local state".

However, Hartenkeil's first time in Salzburg was rather disappointing. In the established medical operations of the archbishopric, he soon reached limits with his modernization proposals, and the sovereign paid him very sparingly. In order to keep the highly qualified doctor 'in line', Colloredo appointed him extraordinary professor of medicine (although there was no medical faculty in Salzburg in the late 18th century) and charged him with lectures on surgery, anatomy and obstetrics. The thrifty Archbishop Colloredo could not bring himself to establish a medical faculty, so the emphasis was placed on better training for non-academic surgeons. In 1788, non-university teaching was started.

In addition to his teaching activities, Hartenkeil ran a private practice that ensured him an adequate income and allowed him to realize other plans: He founded a new medical journal and worked hard to separate the medical ones in St. Johanns Spital, today's state hospital from the surgical department in order to improve the "sad situation of the surgery prevailing there".

His reform efforts initially failed due to the resistance of the established doctors, who rejected such a measure for reasons of competition. In order to gain a foothold in the state hospital, Hartenkeil performed free cataract operations there from 1792. He cleverly used the local media to emphasize his cause by publicizing these successes. In 1796, two separate hospital departments were finally created, but it was a few more years before a university-level surgeon could take over the helm of the new surgical department.

Midwifery reform

The political science teachings of the time saw the wealth and power of a ruler based on the largest possible number of healthy subjects. The fact was, however, that in the 18th century only about half of newborn babies reached adulthood and many women died in childbed. So it was important to reduce infant mortality and keep the mothers alive. In Hartenkeil's opinion, obstetrics in particular was completely in trouble at the Erzstift. Hartenkeil even insinuated that the landscape physicist Johann Nepomuk Prex was the "most miserable obstetrician, and even more - the cruelest child murderer".

Hartenkeil, who had extensive obstetric knowledge through his studies with Siebold, tried for years to set up a midwifery school in Salzburg. As early as the 1780s there had been plans for a municipal birthing house based on the Viennese model, but this had not come about for cost reasons. In 1792 Hartenkeil finally opened the first midwifery school, which was run as a so-called outpatient educational establishment. He taught the theoretical subjects himself, practical lessons were given by teaching midwives.

By 1803 Hartenkeil was able to train 79 midwives. However, the acceptance of the new “qualified” midwives in their home communities was low in the first few years.

Medical Council and Medical Faculty

Efforts to regulate the health system in the archbishopric through laws can be traced back to the 16th century. The so-called Collegium Medicum had existed in Salzburg since 1680 , a body of medical experts that was responsible for organizing disease control, especially in times of crisis. By the late 18th century, the college was outdated and ineffective.

Despite Colloredo's efforts, many reforms in the Salzburg health system could only be implemented after secularization (1803), during the so-called electoral era under Ferdinand III. of Tuscany (1769–1824), including the reorganization of the Collegium Medicum, which, as the Electoral Medical Council, was upgraded to an independent medical authority and headed by Hartenkeil. The most urgent tasks of the Medical Council included quality assurance in medical training, disease control, sanctioning quackery and quackery, as well as controlling the pharmaceutical market. Special efforts were made to enforce the smallpox vaccination in the city and state of Salzburg.

After the secularization, Hartenkeil worked hard with the Elector to realize his lifelong dream: the establishment of a medical faculty at the University of Salzburg . Hartenkeil found support from the leading politicians of the Electoral era and was ultimately successful. On July 2, 1804, Ferdinand signed the decree establishing the medical faculty. Six chairs were set up and filled with prominent members of the Medical Council. Hartenkeil became dean and professor for the history of medicine and surgery, forensic medicine and medical policey.

After Austria took over the Duchy of Salzburg in the spring of 1806, the faculty was dissolved again on August 13, 1807 by Emperor Franz I, despite all protests. The emperor argued that the existing training centers for doctors in Vienna, Prague, Pest and Krakow were sufficient.

As a replacement, a state school was set up for a - also short-lived - “major surgical study”, which produced relatively well-trained but not graduated surgeons. The Electoral Medical Council was also dissolved. The fact that Hartenkeil received the title of Imperial Councilor and was made protomedic for the State of Salzburg will hardly have alleviated his disappointment.

The Medicinisch-Surgical newspaper

Salzburg became known far beyond its borders as a center of medical teaching through the Salzburger Medicinisch-Chirurgische Zeitung founded by Hartenkeil , which appeared from 1790. Hartenkeil edited the journal until his death in 1808. His colleague, Franz X. Mezler , took part in the ambitious project for four years .

Two issues of 16 pages were published every week, which were combined into one volume every quarter. From 1790 to 1808 Hartenkeil edited 71 quarterly volumes and 11 supplementary volumes. Approx. 8000 new publications were discussed. The magazine was available by subscription throughout the German-speaking area and sometimes had a circulation of 2000 to 2500 copies.

Hartenkeil had made many useful contacts on his travels and corresponded with the leading doctors of his time. 45–50 specialists were always available to help him, mostly professors from foreign universities. It also turned out to be very favorable that the “Medicinisch-Chirurgische Zeitung” was not subject to censorship by the archbishopric.

The regularly recurring topics of the magazine included human sexuality, health rules for the (rural) population, questions of the so-called medical policey, smallpox vaccination, the reform of obstetrics and the advantages of hospitals. The critical examination of the subject of 'popular enlightenment' also played a major role (this meant cheaply distributed advisory literature aimed at the population).

After Hartenkeil's death, his brother-in-law, Dr. Johann Nepomuk von Ehrhart, continued editing. It was not until 1864 that the long-lived journal was finally discontinued.

literature

  • Constantin von Wurzbach : Hartenkeil, Johann Jacob . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 7th part. Imperial and Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1861, pp. 389–391 ( digitized version ).
  • August Hirsch :  Hartenkeil, Johann Jacob . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1879, p. 649 f.
  • Kurt Ganzinger:  Hartenkeil, Johann Jacob. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 7, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1966, ISBN 3-428-00188-5 , pp. 709 f. ( Digitized version ).
  • Cornelia Désirée Sonntag: The Salzburg Collegium Medicum and its development up to the establishment of the Electoral Medical Council (1680-1804) , in: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde , 125 (1985), pp. 469–488.
  • Christiane Gärtner: Operations free of charge. Free star operations in the St. Johanns-Spital at the end of the 18th century , in: Neues aus dem Salzburger Landesarchiv , 8 (1990), pp. 108–112.
  • Karl Ehrenfellner: The Salzburg Archbishopric in the second half of the 18th century (introduction), in: Catalog for the exhibition Salzburg at the time of Mozart , ed. from the Salzburg Museum together with the Salzburg Cathedral Museum, Salzburg 1991, pp. 7–17.
  • Sabine Veits-Falk, Alfred Stefan Weiß: "Here are the leaves." The struggle of state and church for the implementation of (child) protective pox vaccination in the city and state of Salzburg (end of the 18th century to approx. 1820) , in: Communications from the Society for Salzburg Regional Studies , 131 (1991), pp. 163–186.
  • Gabriele Danninger: "That they also had to shut up in front of the sick beds". Women between “traditional healing activity” and “learned medicine” around 1800 based on Salzburg sources . Salzburg 1998 (originally phil. Diss., Univ. Salzburg 1994).
  • Harald Waitzbauer : In the service of humanity. The tradition of medical teaching and research in Salzburg . Salzburg 2000.
  • Gerhard Ammerer , Rudolph Angermüller: Salzburg Mozart Lexicon . Published by the State of Salzburg. Bad Honnef 2005.
  • Alfred Stefan Weiß: Salzburg medicine around 1800 - The doctor Dr. Johann Jakob Hartenkeil (1761-1808), his life and work in the city of Salzburg , in: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde , 148 (2008), pp. 105–146.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Alfred Stefan Weiß, Salzburg Medicine around 1800 - The Doctor Dr. Johann Jakob Hartenkeil (1761–1808), his life and work in the city of Salzburg, in: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde 148 (2008), 105. The basic information on Hartenkeil's biography comes from this article.
  2. ↑ Johann Jakob Hartenkeil, Franz Xaver Mezler (ed.): Medicinisch-chirurgische Zeitung. Volumes 1–53 (plus 43 supplementary volumes). Salzburg / Leipzig 1790–1842.
  3. ↑ Cf. Karl Ehrenfellner, Das Erzstift Salzburg in the second half of the 18th century (introduction), in: Catalog for the exhibition Salzburg at the time of Mozart, ed. v. Salzburg Museum according to with the Salzburg Cathedral Museum, Salzburg 1991, 15.
  4. ↑ See Harald Waitzbauer, In the service of humanity. The tradition of medical teaching and research in Salzburg, Salzburg 2000, 10.
  5. ↑ See Christiane Gärtner, Operations for Free. Free star operations in the St. Johanns-Spital at the end of the 18th century, in: Neues aus dem Salzburger Landesarchiv 8 (1990), 110.
  6. ↑ The wedding was preceded by a veritable scandal, as Hartenkeil had 'unhitched' his bride to a Salzburg court advisor, cf. in addition Alfred St. Weiß, Salzburg Medicine around 1800, 113–115.
  7. ↑ See ibid., 119.
  8. ↑ See ibid., 105f.
  9. ↑ See Salzburger Mozartlexikon, ed. v. State of Salzburg, red. v. Gerhard Ammerer u. Rudolph Angermüller, Bad Honnef 2005, 52 (article Population by Gerhard Ammerer)
  10. ↑ See Alfred St. Weiß, Salzburger Medizin, 112.
  11. ↑ H. v. Colloredo quoted. n. Harald Waitzbauer, In the service of humanity, 21f.
  12. ↑ See ibid., 24.
  13. ↑ Undated report by Hartenkeil, cited above. n. Alfred St. Weiss, Salzburg Medicine, 111.
  14. ↑ See Christiane Gärtner, Operations for Free. Free star operations in the St. Johanns Hospital at the end of the 18th century, in: Neues aus dem Salzburger Landesarchiv 8 (1990), 108–112.
  15. ↑ Cf. Roman Sandgruber, Wirtschaftsgeschichte –Demographie, PP presentation, URL: http://www.wsg-hist.uni-linz.ac.at/LVSandgruber/SS%202009/Wirtschaftsgeschichte/1.%20Demographie.pdf , 7 January 2011
  16. ↑ See Alfred St. Weiß, Salzburger Medizin, 112.
  17. ↑ Twelve more were still in training at the time, cf. ibid., 115.
  18. ↑ Cf. Gabriele Danninger, "That they also had to shut up in front of the sick beds". Women between “traditional healing activity” and “learned medicine” around 1800 based on Salzburg sources, Salzburg 1998 (originally phil. Diss., Univ. Salzburg 1994), 167.
  19. ↑ Cf. Cornelia Désirée Sonntag, Das Salzburger Collegium Medicum and its development up to the establishment of the Electoral Medical Council (1680–1804), in: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landesgeschichte 125 (1985), 475.
  20. ↑ See ibid., 469f.
  21. ↑ See Alfred St. Weiß, Salzburger Medizin, 118.
  22. ↑ See ibid.
  23. ↑ See ibid., 119.
  24. ↑ See Harald Waitzbauer, In the service of humanity, 24.
  25. ↑ See Alfred St. Weiß, Salzburg Medicine, 123.
personal data
SURNAME Hartenkeil, Johann Jakob
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German doctor in Salzburg
DATE OF BIRTH January 28, 1761
PLACE OF BIRTH Mainz
DATE OF DEATH June 7, 1808
Place of death Salzburg