Jacob Fidelis Ackermann
Encyclopedia
Jacob Fidelis Ackermann (23 April 1765 – 28 October 1815) was a German
professor of anatomy
and surgery
.
Ackermann was born in Rüdesheim am Rhein. He began his studies at Würzburg
and earned his doctorate in Mainz in 1787. After extensive research travel he was promoted to private lecturer for forensic medicine
in 1789. He acquired the regular professorship in botanics and later in anatomy when Samuel Thomas von Sömmering
resigned his office.
In 1798 the university was dissolved. Ackermann became president and first professor of a newly founded special school of medicine. In 1804 he accepted a call as professor of anatomy and chirurgy at Jena, succeeding Justus Christian Loder
. In the following year, he became professor of anatomy and physiology
at Heidelberg.
In Heidelberg, Ackermann made himself a name as founder and developer of different institutes such as the Anatomical Theatre and the polyclinic.
At the end of the summer semester of 1815, Ackermann traveled to his small manor in the surroundings of Rüdesheim, as was his wont. There he fell ill with nephritis
and died soon after.
Ackermann was described by his contemporaries as a very literate person, but also as a very corpulent one. Although he weighed 300 pounds (136 kg), he was said to be able to hop long distances on one leg while whistling cheerfully.
Apart from his publications, the city of Heidelberg conserves a special rarity from the hands of Jacob Ackermann: the dissected skeleton of rogue chieftain Schinderhannes
, well known through the novels of Carl Zuckmayer
.
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...
professor of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Ackermann was born in Rüdesheim am Rhein. He began his studies at Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
and earned his doctorate in Mainz in 1787. After extensive research travel he was promoted to private lecturer for forensic medicine
Forensic biology
Forensic biology is the application of biology to law enforcement.It includes the subdisciplines of Forensic anthropology, Forensic botany, Forensic entomology, Forensic odontology and various DNA or protein based techniques.- Applications :...
in 1789. He acquired the regular professorship in botanics and later in anatomy when Samuel Thomas von Sömmering
Samuel Thomas von Sömmering
Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring was a German physician, anatomist, anthropologist, paleontologist and inventor. Sömmerring discovered the macula in the retina of the human eye...
resigned his office.
In 1798 the university was dissolved. Ackermann became president and first professor of a newly founded special school of medicine. In 1804 he accepted a call as professor of anatomy and chirurgy at Jena, succeeding Justus Christian Loder
Justus Christian Loder
Justus Ferdinand Christian Loder was a German anatomist and surgeon who was a native of Riga.In 1777 Loder earned his medical doctorate at the University of Göttingen, and the following year was appointed professor of surgery and anatomy at the University of Jena, where he would practice medicine...
. In the following year, he became professor of anatomy and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at Heidelberg.
In Heidelberg, Ackermann made himself a name as founder and developer of different institutes such as the Anatomical Theatre and the polyclinic.
At the end of the summer semester of 1815, Ackermann traveled to his small manor in the surroundings of Rüdesheim, as was his wont. There he fell ill with nephritis
Nephritis
Nephritis is inflammation of the nephrons in the kidneys. The word "nephritis" was imported from Latin, which took it from Greek: νεφρίτιδα. The word comes from the Greek νεφρός - nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation"....
and died soon after.
Ackermann was described by his contemporaries as a very literate person, but also as a very corpulent one. Although he weighed 300 pounds (136 kg), he was said to be able to hop long distances on one leg while whistling cheerfully.
Apart from his publications, the city of Heidelberg conserves a special rarity from the hands of Jacob Ackermann: the dissected skeleton of rogue chieftain Schinderhannes
Schinderhannes
Johannes Bückler , nicknamed Schinderhannes, was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most fascinating crime sprees in German history. He was born at Miehlen, the son of Johann and Anna Maria Bückler. He began an apprenticeship to a tanner, but turned to petty theft. At 16 he was arrested...
, well known through the novels of Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer was a German writer and playwright.-Biography:Born in Nackenheim in Rheinhessen, he was four years old when his family moved to Mainz. With the outbreak of World War I, he finished school with a facilitated "emergency"-Abitur and volunteered for military service...
.
Publications
- Über die Kreuzung der Sehnerven, Blumbach's medical bibliography, 1788, III. 307. 706.
- Gustus organi novissime detecti prodromus, Mainz, 1790
- Über den Cretinismus, Gotha, 1790
- Darstellung der Lebenskräfte, 2 volumes, Frankfurt am Main, 1797, 1800
- Über die Erleichterung schwerer Geburten, Jena, 1804
- Kritik an der Gall'schen Schädel- und Organlehre, Heidelberg, 1806
- De febribus epitome, Heidelberg, 1809
- Über die Natur des Gewächses, 1812
- Commentarii de nervei systematis primordiis, Mannheim, 1813
Sources
- Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie – online version