Gustav Simon (physician)
Encyclopedia
Gustav Simon was a German
surgeon
.
In 1848 he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Giessen
, and from 1848 to 1861 served as a military physician with a Hessian
troop outfit. During this time he also worked at a small hospital in Darmstadt
that he co-founded. In 1861 at the request of Carl Friedrich Strempel (1800-1872), he was appointed professor at the University of Rostock
and director of the surgical clinic. In 1867 he succeeded Karl Otto Weber
(1827-1867) at the University of Heidelberg. During the Franco-Prussian War
he served as a physician in reserve hospitals. Simon was a member of the Corps Starkenburgia Giessen (1843) and Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg (1845).
Simon specialized in the fields of gynecology, orthopedics
and military surgery, and published a book involving his early experiences with gunshot wounds. In 1851-52 while in Paris
, he had the chance to observe Antoine Joseph Jobert de Lamballe
’s operative treatment of vesicovaginal fistulae (VVF). Impressed by Jobert's success rate with VVF, Simon developed his own surgical technique for VVF when he returned to Darmstadt.
Simon demonstrated that the excretion process remains functional in animals with one healthy kidney
, and on August 2, 1869 performed the first successful nephrectomy
on a human patient.
In 1872 with Bernhard von Langenbeck
(1810-1887) and Richard von Volkmann
(1830-1889), he founded the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie (DGCH).
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...
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...
.
In 1848 he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, and from 1848 to 1861 served as a military physician with a Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
troop outfit. During this time he also worked at a small hospital in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
that he co-founded. In 1861 at the request of Carl Friedrich Strempel (1800-1872), he was appointed professor at the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...
and director of the surgical clinic. In 1867 he succeeded Karl Otto Weber
Karl Otto Weber
Karl Otto Weber was a German surgeon and pathologist born in Frankfurt am Main.-Biography:He received his early education in the gymnasium at Bremen which his father directed...
(1827-1867) at the University of Heidelberg. During the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
he served as a physician in reserve hospitals. Simon was a member of the Corps Starkenburgia Giessen (1843) and Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg (1845).
Simon specialized in the fields of gynecology, orthopedics
Orthopedics
Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. The Greek word 'ortho' means straight or correct and 'pedics' comes from the Greek 'pais' meaning children. For many centuries, orthopedists have been involved in the treatment of crippled children...
and military surgery, and published a book involving his early experiences with gunshot wounds. In 1851-52 while in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he had the chance to observe Antoine Joseph Jobert de Lamballe
Antoine Joseph Jobert de Lamballe
Antoine Joseph Jobert de Lamballe was a French surgeon. He was born at Matignon, studied medicine at Paris, and in 1830 became surgeon at the Hôpital Saint-Louis...
’s operative treatment of vesicovaginal fistulae (VVF). Impressed by Jobert's success rate with VVF, Simon developed his own surgical technique for VVF when he returned to Darmstadt.
Simon demonstrated that the excretion process remains functional in animals with one healthy kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
, and on August 2, 1869 performed the first successful nephrectomy
Nephrectomy
Nephrectomy is the surgical removal of a kidney.-History:The first successful nephrectomy was performed by the German surgeon Gustav Simon on August 2, 1869 in Heidelberg. Simon practiced the operation beforehand in animal experiments...
on a human patient.
In 1872 with Bernhard von Langenbeck
Bernhard von Langenbeck
Bernhard Rudolf Konrad von Langenbeck was a German surgeon known as the developer of Langenbeck's amputation and founder of Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery....
(1810-1887) and Richard von Volkmann
Richard von Volkmann
Richard von Volkmann , was a prominent German surgeon and poet.He was born in Leipzig in 1830, the son of A.W. Volkmann. Richard entered medical school in Berlin and graduated in 1854...
(1830-1889), he founded the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie (DGCH).
Literary works
- 1851, "Über Schußwunden" (About Gunshot Wounds), GießenGießenGießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
- 1854, "Über Heilung der Blasenscheidenfisteln" (Concerning Healing of Vesicovaginal Fistulae), Gießen
- 1857, "Die Exstirpation der Milz" (The Extirpation of the SpleenSpleenThe spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
, Gießen - 1862, "Über die Operation der Blasenscheidenfisteln" (About the Operation for Vesicovaginal Fistulae), RostockRostockRostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
- 1868, "Mitteilungen aus der chirurgischen Klinik zu Rostock" (Reports from the Surgical Hospital at Rostock), Prag
- 1871-76 "Chirurgie der Nieren" (Surgery of the Kidneys); (2 volumes), StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....