Karl Turban
Karl Turban (born November 7, 1856 in Karlsruhe , † April 5, 1935 in Maienfeld ) was a German pulmonologist in Davos .
Life
Turban had established himself as a general practitioner in Weinheim when he heard of the discovery of the tubercle bacillus. He went to Berlin to learn what was then a new subject, bacteriology, and became Robert Koch's assistant . There he fell ill with tuberculosis . Several stays on the Riviera followed. On recommendation he was given the medical management of the newly planned Davos sanatorium. Before starting his new job, Turban went to Falkenstein for two weeks to learn about Peter Dettweiler's treatment methods .
In 1893 Turbans Standardien was published for the construction of sanatoriums for lung patients in Switzerland . In 1902 he became the first president of the Swiss Association against Tuberculosis . In 1926 he became a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina .
Privy Councilor Turban was considered an international authority on tuberculosis treatment. He became an honorary citizen of Davos.
Davos - from the "immune" to the "disciplined" health resort
The Davos spa hotels could not be compared with the health resorts based on the models of Hermann Brehmer and Peter Dettweiler . They were open institutions for spa guests and tuberculosis sufferers without strict spa regulations. The spa guests were looked after by doctors; it was up to them whether they wanted to follow the doctors' advice. They were expected to be self-disciplined and motivated to comply with the regulations, but they were hardly under control.
Peter Dettweiler said that the reins had to be tightened in Davos. In the Davos newspaper in 1886 he was countered with: “Anyone who does not know how to control himself in a health resort as his illness demands, has little prospect of permanent cure in an institution either; the evil returns as soon as the institutional constraint ceases. Reckless lung patients have died once and for all: they cannot be saved, even if the whole world is turned into a closed institution. One may complain, we don't know how to change it. "
But even in the open health resort of Davos, there were increasing voices calling for stricter discipline and more controlled treatment methods that Davos should not be a conglomerate of hotels, but a health resort in which the larger houses are real health institutions. The belief in the high mountains as a healing factor for pulmonary tuberculosis sank.
In 1889, Turban was not very pleased with the conditions in his future place of work in Davos: “People who are feverish and spit blood are sent on mountain walks. At the regular beer concerts in the Kurhaus, larynx sufferers sing the drinking songs to the best of their ability. During festivities in the hotels, seriously ill men and women dance while drunk - and the doctors watch. "
Sanatorium turban
In 1889, at the age of 33, Turban opened the first closed tuberculosis sanatorium in the high mountains, the Turban Sanatorium with 70 beds. He introduced the open-air reclining cure based on Dettweiler principles. Turban combined the effect of the high altitude climate with the strict lying cure treatment. He turned the open, "immune" into the "disciplined" health resort of Davos.
With the opening of the private sanatorium Turban, later the park sanatorium, the decisive change occurred in Davos, which had its climax at the turn of the century. The new sanatorium was trend-setting for the numerous sanatoriums that were built in Davos not only through its treatment methods based on Dettweiler's principles, but also in its architectural design. All guest rooms faced south, the narrow verandas were replaced by wide balconies for beds and loungers and, as the most important aid for carrying out the outdoor reclining cure, sunny lounges that are protected from the weather and wind were created. They were the actual day room for the sick and could be used by everyone at the same time from morning to night.
Turban's personal role model also prevailed. In order to dispel the skepticism about the strict reclining cure and to persuade the patients to adhere to the cure in a disciplined manner, Turban lay with them in the reclining hall even in the afternoon in absolute peace. No one would have dared to read a newspaper, let alone talk to fellow patients.
Turban had undeniable successes, and patients from all over the world flocked to his sanatorium.
Role models and companions
Robert Koch , Hermann Brehmer , Peter Dettweiler , Alexander Spengler , Willem Jan Holsboer
Web links
- Beat Rüttimann: Karl Turban. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- Hermann Brehmer and the Görbersdorf Lung Sanatorium
- Brehmer and the oldest lung sanatorium in the world in Görbersdorf
- Peter Dettweiler and the Falkenstein Sanatorium
- The Beelitz Heilstätten
- Pulmonary sanatorium website
- Medical Museum Davos (PDF; 7.8 MB)
- Davos im Zauberberg (PDF; 7.5 MB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Member entry of Karl Turban at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on June 18, 2016.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Turban, Karl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German pulmonologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 7, 1856 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Karlsruhe |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 5, 1935 |
| Place of death | Maienfeld |