Wilhelm His (medic, 1831)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilhelm His

Wilhelm His (born July 9, 1831 in Basel , † May 1, 1904 in Leipzig ) was a Swiss- German anatomist , was one of the most important neuroanatomists of his time and co-founder of embryology .

Life

His came from a respected patrician family and studied medicine in Basel, Berlin (with Johannes Peter Müller and Robert Remak ), Würzburg (with Rudolf Virchow and Albert von Kölliker ), Bern , Prague and Vienna . In 1854 he received his doctorate, in 1856 he completed his habilitation in Basel.

In 1857, at the age of 26, he became a full professor of anatomy and physiology in Basel. In 1872 he followed a call to the University of Leipzig as full professor of anatomy. He designed a new anatomical institute building, which was completed three years later and which still houses the Leipzig anatomy today. In 1877/78, 1883/84, 1887/88 and 1898/99 he was dean and in 1882 rector of the University of Leipzig. He was elected to the Leopoldina in 1880 for his scientific merits . In 1893 he was accepted as a corresponding member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences . Also of the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund (since 1874), the Royal Saxon Society of Sciences in Leipzig (since 1875), the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (since 1885), the Russian Academy of Sciences (since 1885), the Royal Swedish He was a member of the Academy of Sciences (since 1892) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (since 1900). In 1891 he was chairman of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors .

Ferdinand Sauerbruch was one of the students of the anatomist and privy councilor in Leipzig .

His sons were the internist Wilhelm His and the legal historian Rudolf His . His nephew was the physician and physiologist Friedrich Miescher .

plant

His developed the wax plate technique with which one could produce three-dimensional reconstructions of embryos . He was a pioneer in the field of tissue cutting technology and developed the microtome further.

His researched mainly in the field of embryology of the central nervous system and discovered the neuroblasts . Based on his studies, he repeatedly accused Ernst Haeckel in the embryo controversy of having drawn embryos incorrectly in order to be able to present Haeckel's so-called Biogenetic Basic Law more plausibly. Today creationists reinterpret this criticism as evidence against the theory of evolution . His is seen as one of the founders of evolutionary mechanics.

In 1883 he discovered that each nerve fiber originated in a single nerve cell . His laid a foundation for the neuron theory .

He has also made a name for himself in the anatomical nomenclature , the so-called Basel nomenclature (BNA) is mainly due to his initiative.

His was also important for building up the anatomical collection in Leipzig, which today still has specimens from his time. Together with the sculptor Steger, he made plaster casts of anatomical preparations ("His-Steger models").

His was also involved in identifying the bones of Johann Sebastian Bach . Together with the Leipzig professor of dentistry, Friedrich Louis Hesse (1849–1906), he analyzed Bach's skull using the Welcker profile method.

literature

Web links

Commons : Wilhelm His  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Member entry by Wilhelm His at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on November 18, 2012.
  2. ^ Members of the previous academies. Wilhelm His. Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences , accessed April 5, 2015 .
  3. ^ Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1724. Wilhelm His. Russian Academy of Sciences, accessed August 19, 2015 .
  4. ^ Wilhelm His . In: Theodor Westrin (Ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 11 : Harrisburg – Hypereides . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1909, Sp. 756 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
  5. ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed December 19, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Ferdinand Sauerbruch: That was my life. Kindler & Schiermeyer, Bad Wörishofen 1951; Licensed edition for Bertelsmann Lesering, Gütersloh 1956, p. 30.
  7. ↑ Development Mechanics . In: Otto Grosser , arr. by Rolf Ortmann: Outline of the human development history . 6th edition. Springer, Berlin 1966; P. 2, 24 f.
  8. ↑ Neuron Theory . In: Alfred Benninghoff , Kurt Goerttler : Textbook of Human Anatomy. Shown with preference given to functional relationships. 3rd volume nervous system, skin and sensory organs. 7th edition. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich 1964, p. 109 ff.
personal data
SURNAME His, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss anatomist
DATE OF BIRTH July 9, 1831
PLACE OF BIRTH Basel
DATE OF DEATH May 1, 1904
Place of death Leipzig