Erwin Payr was an Austrian-German surgeon

Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

 born in Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

.

Following graduation in 1894 at Innsbruck, he worked as an assistant at the first pathological anatomy institute in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. Afterwards he became an assistant to Carl Nicoladoni

Carl Nicoladoni

Carl Nicoladoni was an Austrian surgeon who was born in Vienna. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Vienna, and was later a professor of surgery at the Universities of Innsbruck and Graz .Nicoladoni specialized in orthopedic and reconstructive surgery...

 (1847-1902) at the University of Graz

University of Graz

The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....

, where in 1899 he became habilitated for surgery.

In 1907 he became chief surgeon at the University of Greifswald, and in 1910 was appointed professor of surgery at the University of Königsberg

University of Königsberg

The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....

. The following year he relocated to 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...

, where he remained until his retirement in 1937.

Payr was regarded as an excellent physician known for his expertise in all facets of surgery. He was the first surgeon to use ozone

Ozone

Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...

 treatments in order to control and kill bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

, a practice he learned from Swiss therapist E.A. Fisch. In 1935 he published Über Ozonbehandlung in der Chirurgie (Ozone Treatment in Surgery). Also he introduced the use of absorbable magnesium

Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...

 sutures in vascular and nerve surgery, and used elderberry

Elderberry

Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...

 stems for capillary

Capillary action

Capillary action, or capilarity, is the ability of a liquid to flow against gravity where liquid spontanously rise in a narrow space such as between the hair of a paint-brush, in a thin tube, or in porous material such as paper or in some non-porous material such as liquified carbon fiber, or in a...

 drainage of brain abscesses.

Splenic-flexure syndrome

Splenic-flexure syndrome

Splenic flexure syndrome is a term sometimes used to describe bloating, muscle spasms of the colon, and upper abdominal discomfort thought to be caused by trapped gas at the splenic flexure in the colon; the pain caused can be excruciating and debilitating, and may mimic that of a heart attack .Some...

 or "Payr's disease" is named after a condition he described. Payr's disease is constipation

Constipation

Constipation refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation...

 due to kinking of an adhesion between the transverse

Transverse colon

The transverse colon, the longest and most movable part of the colon, passes with a downward convexity from the right hypochondrium region across the abdomen, opposite the confines of the epigastric and umbilical zones, into the left hypochondrium region, where it curves sharply on itself beneath...

 and descending colon

Descending colon

The descending colon of humans passes downward through the left hypochondrium and lumbar regions, along the lateral border of the left kidney....

. Also a tool used in abdominal surgery called a "Payr pylorus

Pylorus

The pylorus is the region of the stomach that connects to the duodenum . It is divided into two parts:* the pyloric antrum, which connects to the body of the stomach.* the pyloric canal, which connects to the duodenum....

 clamp

Clamp (tool)

A clamp is a fastening device to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward pressure...

" is named after him, as is "Payr's sign", an indication of thrombophlebitis

Thrombophlebitis

Thrombophlebitis is phlebitis related to a thrombus . When it occurs repeatedly in different locations, it is known as "Thrombophlebitis migrans" or "migrating thrombophlebitis".-Signs and symptoms:...

in which pain occurs when pressure is applied to the sole of the foot.