Rudolf Virchow known for
Cell theory
Cellular pathology
Biogenesis
Virchow's triad
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Overview
Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder of social medicine, and to his colleagues, the "Pope of medicine".
Virchow studied medicine at the Friedrich Wilhelm University under Johannes P…
Early life
Virchow was born in Schievelbein, in eastern Pomerania, Prussia (now Świdwin, Poland). He was the only child of Carl Christian Siegfried Virchow (1785–1865) and Johanna Maria née Hesse (1785–1857). His father was a farmer and the city treasurer. Academically brilliant, he always topped his classes and was fluent in German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, English, Arabic, French, Italian and Dutc…
Scientific career
In 1839, he received a military fellowship, a scholarship for gifted children from poor families to become army surgeons, to study medicine at the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin (now Humboldt University of Berlin). He was most influenced by Johannes Peter Müller, his doctoral advisor. Virchow defended his doctoral thesis titled De rheumate praesertim corneae (corneal manifestation…
Politics and social medicine
More than a laboratory physician, Virchow was an impassioned advocate for social and political reform. His ideology involved social inequality as the cause of diseases that requires political actions, stating:
Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale. Medicine, as a social science, as the science of human beings, has the …
Personal life
On 24 August 1850 in Berlin, Virchow married Ferdinande Rosalie Mayer (29 February 1832 – 21 February 1913), a liberal's daughter. They had three sons and three daughters:
• Karl Virchow (1 August 1851 – 21 September 1912), a chemist
• Hans Virchow (de) (10 September 1852 – 7 April 1940), an anatomist
Collections and Foundations
Rudolf Virchow was also a collector. Several museums in Berlin emerged from Virchow's collections: the Märkisches Museum, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Medical History. In addition, Virchow's collection of anatomical specimens from numerous European and non-European populations, which still exists today, deserves special mention. The collection is owned by the Berlin Society for Anthropology …
Honours and legacy
• In June 1859, Virchow was elected to Berlin Chamber of Representatives.
• In 1860, he was elected official Member of the Königliche Wissenschaftliche Deputation für das Medizinalwesen (Royal Scientific Board for Medical Affairs).
• In 1861, he was elected foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Works
Virchow was a prolific writer. Some of his works are:
• Mittheilungen über die in Oberschlesien herrschende Typhus-Epidemie (1848)
• Die Cellularpathologie in ihrer Begründung auf physiologische und pathologische Gewebelehre., his chief work (1859; English translation, 1860): The fourth edition of this work formed the first volume of Vorlesungen über Pathologie below.
Early Life and Education
Work
- After graduating in 1843, Virchow became an intern at a German teaching hospital in Berlin, where he learned the basics of microscopy and the theories on the causes and treatment of diseases while working with Robert Froriep, a pathologist. At the time, scientists believed that they could understand nature by working from first principles rather than concrete observations and experi…
Personal Life
- Virchow married Rose Mayer, the daughter of a colleague, in 1850. They had six children together: Karl, Hans, Ernst, Adele, Marie, and Hanna Elisabeth.
Honors and Awards
- Virchow was given a number of awards during his lifetime for both his scientific and political accomplishments, including: 1. 1861, Foreign Member, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2. 1862, Member, Prussian House of Representatives 3. 1880, Member, Reichstag of the German Empire 4. 1892, Copley Medal, British Royal Society A number of medical terms have also been …
Legacy and Impact
- Virchow made a number of important advances in medicine and public health, including recognizing leukemia and describing myelin, though he is most well known for his work in cellular pathology. He also contributed to anthropology, archaeology, and other fields outside of medicine.
Sources
- Kearl, Megan. “Rudolf Carl Virchow (1821-1902).” The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University, 17 Mar. 2012, embryo.asu.edu/pages/rudolf-carl-virchow-1821-1902.
- Reese, David M. “Fundamentals: Rudolf Virchow and Modern Medicine.” The Western Journal of Medicine, vol. 169, no. 2, 1998, pp. 105–108.
- Schultz, Myron. “Rudolf Virchow.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 14, no. 9, 2008, pp. 1480…
- Kearl, Megan. “Rudolf Carl Virchow (1821-1902).” The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University, 17 Mar. 2012, embryo.asu.edu/pages/rudolf-carl-virchow-1821-1902.
- Reese, David M. “Fundamentals: Rudolf Virchow and Modern Medicine.” The Western Journal of Medicine, vol. 169, no. 2, 1998, pp. 105–108.
- Schultz, Myron. “Rudolf Virchow.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 14, no. 9, 2008, pp. 1480–1481.
- Stewart, Doug. “Rudolf Virchow.” Famouscientists.org, Famous Scientists, www.famousscientists.org/rudolf-virchow/.
