Hermann Brehmer
Encyclopedia
Hermann Brehmer was a German
physician
who established the first German sanatorium
for the systematic open-air treatment of tuberculosis
.
, Prussian Silesia. He studied mathematics, astronomy, and natural science at the University of Breslau (Wrocław) from 1847–50. Having gone to Berlin
to work at an herbarium
in 1850, he abandoned natural science and dedicated himself to medicine at the University of Berlin
, receiving his doctorate in 1853.
Alternately, as a botany student in Silesia, Brehmer was diagnosed with tuberculosis and told to find a healthier climate. He went to the Himalayas
, continued his studies, and found himself cured. In 1854 he returned to Germany to study medicine, ultimately writing a dissertation titled "Tuberculosis is a Curable Disease".
By 1854 Brehmer had settled in Görbersdorf (Sokołowsko), Silesia. In 1863, Brehmer opened the Brehmerschen Heilanstalt für Lungenkranke, a hospital in Görbersdorf where patients were exposed to plentiful amounts of high altitude fresh air, and good nutrition. Initially, his sanatorium was based in a small group of cottages, though it would grow to have 300 beds. The results surpassed all previous treatments.
Brehmer died in Görbersdorf. His work was continued by one of his patients, Peter Dettweiler (1837–1904), who opened his own sanatorium (Heilanstalt Falkenberg in Hesse
) in 1876; however, Dettweiler emphasized rest rather than exercise. Brehmer and Dettweiler's work was the primary influence on Dr. Edward Trudeau in establishing the successful Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
at Saranac Lake, New York
, in the 1880s.
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
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who established the first German sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for the systematic open-air treatment of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Biography
Brehmer was born in Kurtsch (Kurczówa) near Strehlen (Strzelin)Strzelin
Strzelin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located on the Oława river, a tributary of the Oder, about south of the region's capital Wrocław. The town is the seat of Strzelin County and also of the smaller municipality of Strzelin...
, Prussian Silesia. He studied mathematics, astronomy, and natural science at the University of Breslau (Wrocław) from 1847–50. Having gone to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to work at an herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
in 1850, he abandoned natural science and dedicated himself to medicine at the University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, receiving his doctorate in 1853.
Alternately, as a botany student in Silesia, Brehmer was diagnosed with tuberculosis and told to find a healthier climate. He went to the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, continued his studies, and found himself cured. In 1854 he returned to Germany to study medicine, ultimately writing a dissertation titled "Tuberculosis is a Curable Disease".
By 1854 Brehmer had settled in Görbersdorf (Sokołowsko), Silesia. In 1863, Brehmer opened the Brehmerschen Heilanstalt für Lungenkranke, a hospital in Görbersdorf where patients were exposed to plentiful amounts of high altitude fresh air, and good nutrition. Initially, his sanatorium was based in a small group of cottages, though it would grow to have 300 beds. The results surpassed all previous treatments.
Brehmer died in Görbersdorf. His work was continued by one of his patients, Peter Dettweiler (1837–1904), who opened his own sanatorium (Heilanstalt Falkenberg in Hesse
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...
) in 1876; however, Dettweiler emphasized rest rather than exercise. Brehmer and Dettweiler's work was the primary influence on Dr. Edward Trudeau in establishing the successful Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium
The Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium was a tuberculosis sanatorium established in Saranac Lake, New York in 1885 by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. After Trudeau's death in 1915, the institution's name was changed to the Trudeau Sanatorium, following changes in conventional usage...
at Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
, in the 1880s.