Ernst von Bergmann | |
|---|---|
 von Bergmannc. 1890 | |
| Born | Ernst Gustav Benjamin von Bergmann 16 December 1836 (1836-12-16) Riga,Livonia Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 25 March 1907 (1907-03-26) (aged 70) Wiesbaden,Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Nationality | Baltic German |
| Alma mater | University of Dorpat |
| Known for | Sterilisation ofsurgical instruments andHydrocolectomy |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Surgeon |
| Institutions | University of Berlin |
Ernst Gustav Benjamin von Bergmann (16 December 1836 – 25 March 1907) was aBaltic Germansurgeon. He was the first physician to introduceheat sterilisation ofsurgical instruments and is known as a pioneer ofaseptic surgery.
Born inRiga,Livonia Governorate (nowLatvia), in 1860 he earned his doctorate at theUniversity of Dorpat. He then worked as an assistant at the surgical clinic, and trained for surgery underGeorg von Adelmann (his future father-in-law), andGeorg von Oettingen. He received his certification in 1864.
From 1871 to 1878 he was a professor of surgery at Dorpat. In 1878 he became a professor atWürzburg; in 1882 he relocated to theUniversity of Berlin as a successor toBernhard von Langenbeck.[1] von Bergmann continued as a professor of surgery atBerlin for the remainder of his career. Two of his assistants in Berlin wereCurt Schimmelbusch (1860–1895) andFriedrich Gustav von Bramann (1854–1913).[2]
Bergmann died inWiesbaden. His son,Gustav von Bergmann (1878–1955) was a noted doctor ofinternal medicine.
Bergmann was the first physician to introduceheat sterilization ofsurgical instruments, thus greatly reducing the number of infections in surgery.[3] He also used steam sterilizeddressing material, demonstrating its superiority to chemical antisepsis.[2] He was also an early adopter of the "white coat".[4]
He served as a medical officer in theAustro-Prussian War (1866), theFranco-Prussian War (1870–71), and theRusso-Turkish War (1877–78), gaining valuable experience in treating wounds. He was deeply interested in the etiology and pathogenesis of diseases associated with battle-related wounds.[2] As a medical officer, he expressed the need for a well-trained ancillary and nursing personnel and also for the implementation of a modified procedure for handlinggunshot wounds, in particular, wounds involving the joints andcranium.[5]
Bergmann pioneered the hydrocelectomy (hydrocele operation), contributed to improvedappendectomy procedures, and performed the first successfulesophagealdiverticulum operation.[2]
Bergmann wrote numerous medical and surgical works, including a classic treatise on head injuries,Die Lehre von den Kopfverletzungen (1880), and a book onbrain surgery,Die Chirurgische Behandlung der Hirnkrankheiten (1888).[2] In 1904, withMartin Kirchner andRobert Kutner, he co-founded theZeitschrift für ärztliche Fortbildung ("Journal of Medical Education").[6] With Friedrich von Bramann and English physicianMorell Mackenzie (1837–1892), he attended toFrederick III (1831–1888), when the emperor was dying oflaryngeal cancer.[citation needed]
The Ernst von Bergmann Clinic inPotsdam,[7] theErnst-von-Bergmann-Kaserne inMunich, and the Ernst von Bergmann Plaque of theGerman Medical Association, are named in his honor.
Media related toErnst von Bergmann at Wikimedia Commons
