Adolph Kussmaul
Encyclopedia
Adolph Kussmaul was a German
physician and a leading clinician of his time. He was born as the son and grandson of physicians at Graben
near Karlsruhe
and studied at Heidelberg
. He entered the army after graduation and spent two years as an army surgeon. This was followed by a period as a general practitioner
before he went to Würzburg
to study for his doctorate
under Virchow
.
He was subsequently Professor of Medicine at Heidelberg
(1857), Erlangen
(1859), Freiburg (1859) and Strassburg
(1876).
He died in Heidelberg.
The following eponymous terms are considered archaic:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
physician and a leading clinician of his time. He was born as the son and grandson of physicians at Graben
Graben-Neudorf
Graben-Neudorf is a town in Northern Karlsruhe County in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Early history:The village of Graben was probably created between the 5th and 7th Century, though this isn't entirely certain. An ancient Roman road connecting Kehl, Mühlburg, Heidelberg, and Neuenheim runs...
near Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and studied at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. He entered the army after graduation and spent two years as an army surgeon. This was followed by a period as a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
before he went to Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
to study for his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
under Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
.
He was subsequently Professor of Medicine at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
(1857), Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
(1859), Freiburg (1859) and Strassburg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
(1876).
He died in Heidelberg.
Eponymous terms
His name continues to be used in eponyms. He described two medical signs and one disease which have eponymous names that remain in use:- Kussmaul breathingKussmaul breathingKussmaul breathing is a deep and labored breathing pattern often associated with severe metabolic acidosis, particularly diabetic ketoacidosis but also renal failure. It is a form of hyperventilation, which is any breathing pattern that reduces carbon dioxide in the blood due to increased rate or...
- Very deep and labored breathing with normal or reduced frequency seen in severe Diabetic ketoacidosisDiabetic ketoacidosisDiabetic ketoacidosis is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. It happens predominantly in those with type 1 diabetes, but it can occur in those with type 2 diabetes under certain circumstances...
(DKA). - Kussmaul's signKussmaul's signKussmaul's sign is the observation of a rise in jugular venous pressure on inspiration. It can be seen in some forms of heart disease and is usually indicative of limited right ventricular filling.-Background:...
- Paradoxical rise in the Jugular venous pressureJugular venous pressureThe jugular venous pressure is the indirectly observed pressure over the venous system...
(JVP) on inhalation in Constrictive pericarditisConstrictive pericarditisIn many cases, constrictive pericarditis is a late sequela, in other words a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease, of an inflammatory condition of the pericardium...
or Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary disease , also known as chronic obstructive lung disease , chronic obstructive airway disease , chronic airflow limitation and chronic obstructive respiratory disease , is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases...
(COPD). - Kussmaul disease (Also called Kussmaul-Maier disease) - Polyarteritis nodosaPolyarteritis nodosaPolyarteritis nodosa is a vasculitis of medium & small-sized arteries, which become swollen and damaged from attack by rogue immune cells. Polyarteritis nodosa is also called Kussmaul disease or Kussmaul-Maier disease...
. Named with Rudolf Robert MaierRudolf Robert MaierRudolf Robert Maier was a German pathologist who was a native of Freiburg im Breisgau.He studied medicine at the University of Freiburg, where one of his instructors was orthopedist Louis Georg Friedrich Stromeyer...
(1824-1888).
The following eponymous terms are considered archaic:
- Kussmaul's coma - diabetic comaDiabetic comaDiabetic coma is a reversible form of coma found in people with diabetes mellitus. It is a medical emergency.Three different types of diabetic coma are identified:#Severe diabetic hypoglycemia...
due to ketoacidosis. - Kussmaul's aphasia - selective mutismSelective mutismSelective mutism is an anxiety disorder in which a person, most often a child, who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations, or to specific people...
.
Firsts
- First to describe dyslexiaDyslexiaDyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
in 1877. (He called it 'word blindness'.) - First to describe polyarteritis nodosaPolyarteritis nodosaPolyarteritis nodosa is a vasculitis of medium & small-sized arteries, which become swollen and damaged from attack by rogue immune cells. Polyarteritis nodosa is also called Kussmaul disease or Kussmaul-Maier disease...
. - First to describe progressive bulbar paralysis.
- First to diagnose mesenteric embolism.
- First to perform pleural tapping and gastric lavageGastric lavageGastric lavage, also commonly called stomach pumping or Gastric irrigation, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. It has been used for over 200 years as a means of eliminating poisons from the stomach. Such devices are normally used on a person who has ingested a poison or...
. - First to attempt oesophagoscopyEsophagogastroduodenoscopyFor other expansions of the initialism "OGD", see the disambiguation page.In medicine , esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum...
and gastroscopyEsophagogastroduodenoscopyFor other expansions of the initialism "OGD", see the disambiguation page.In medicine , esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum...
.
External links
- Adolf Kussmaul, biography from Who Named It?.