Ernst Trömner
Encyclopedia
Ernst Trömner was a German neurologist
who was a native of Meerane
in the Kingdom of Saxony
.
In 1893 he earned his medical doctorate at Leipzig
, and was later director of the neurological department of St. Georg Hospital in Hamburg
. He designed the Trömner Reflex Hammer, a popular reflex hammer
that is used for evoking cutaneous and myotatic
responses.
His name is also associated with "Trömner's reflex" of which, with the fingers of the patient partially flexed, the tapping of the volar aspect of the tip of the middle
or index finger
causes flexion of all four fingers and thumb
. This phenomenon is associated with pyramidal tract lesions with moderate spasticity
.
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
who was a native of Meerane
Meerane
Meerane is a town in the Zwickau district of Saxony, Germany. It lies midway between the towns of Chemnitz and Zwickau.As of 31 December 2008, there were 16,517 inhabitants...
in the Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
.
In 1893 he earned his medical doctorate at Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, and was later director of the neurological department of St. Georg Hospital in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. He designed the Trömner Reflex Hammer, a popular reflex hammer
Reflex hammer
A reflex hammer is a medical instrument used by physicians to test deep tendon reflexes. Testing for reflexes is an important part of the neurological physical examination in order to detect abnormalities in the central or peripheral nervous system....
that is used for evoking cutaneous and myotatic
Reflex
A reflex action, also known as a reflex, is an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus. A true reflex is a behavior which is mediated via the reflex arc; this does not apply to casual uses of the term 'reflex'.-See also:...
responses.
His name is also associated with "Trömner's reflex" of which, with the fingers of the patient partially flexed, the tapping of the volar aspect of the tip of the middle
Middle finger
The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...
or index finger
Index finger
The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...
causes flexion of all four fingers and thumb
Thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...
. This phenomenon is associated with pyramidal tract lesions with moderate spasticity
Spasticity
Spasticity is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance in muscle tone involving hypertonia, which is also referred to as an unusual "tightness" of muscles...
.