Jacob Moritz Blumberg
Encyclopedia
Jacob Moritz Blumberg was a German
Jewish surgeon
and gynaecologist
and inventor and namesake of the Blumberg sign
.
and educated at the University of Breslau (Wrocław) where he received his doctorate
in 1896. He went on to complete further training with Polish
surgeon Jan Mikulicz-Radecki
at the surgical clinic in Breslau, under German
physician
Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser
, the discoverer of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
, at the dermatological
clinic, and under German physician Albert Fränkel
at the women's clinic. He also trained with Paul Zweifel
at the women's clinic in Leipzig
.
Blumberg began his professional career in Berlin
where he specialised in gynaecology
and surgery
. Early in his career he invented the Blumberg sign to indicate peritonitis
. Investigating methods of sterilisation
of the surgeon's hands resulted in his invention of a type of rubber glove that was widely adopted by his medical colleagues. World War I
required him to fight with the German army and he successfully brought a typhus
epidemic
in a Prisoner of War
camp under control by delousing 10.000 Russian POWs in a few days. He was awarded the Iron Cross
and received decorations from several other countries.
After the war, Blumberg resumed his surgical practice and organised many prenatal care
clinics in Berlin, one of which was the Beulah Clinic which Blumberg personally directed. He also began working in the new fields of radiology
and radium therapy and founded an X-ray
and radium institute in Berlin. With the rise of the Nazi Party he left Germany
and moved to Belsize Park
, London
, England
where he successfully continued his medical work and where his portrait was painted by the renowned artist Arthur Pan
. In 1935 he had obtained a quantity of radium from the Curie Institute, founded by Marie Curie
in Paris, to help set up his elder son Ernst Friedrich Blumberg's practice in London. This work resulted in Ernst writing the treatise Health through radium therapy in 1950.
Blumberg married Charlotte Haas and they had two sons. The elder son Ernst Friedrich Blumberg M.D. (1908–1973) was also a notable surgeon, gynaecologist and radium therapist who married the Canadian artist Marion Harding in 1960, London, England.
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...
Jewish 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...
and gynaecologist
Gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
and inventor and namesake of the Blumberg sign
Blumberg sign
Blumberg's sign is a sign that is elicited during physical examination in medicine. It is indicative of peritonitis.The abdominal wall is compressed slowly and then rapidly released. Presence of pain makes the sign positive...
.
Biography
Blumberg was born in the Province of PosenProvince of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
and educated at the University of Breslau (Wrocław) where he received his doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1896. He went on to complete further training with Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
surgeon Jan Mikulicz-Radecki
Jan Mikulicz-Radecki
Jan Mikulicz-Radecki was a Polish-Austrian surgeon. He was born May 16, 1850 in Czernowitz in the Austrian Empire and died June 4, 1905 in Breslau, German Empire .While his mother Freiin von Damnitz was Austrian, his parental ancestors of the Mikulicz...
at the surgical clinic in Breslau, under German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
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...
Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser
Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser
Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser was a German physician who discovered the causative agent of gonorrhea, a strain of bacteria that was named in his honour ....
, the discoverer of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as gonococci , or gonococcus , is a species of Gram-negative coffee bean-shaped diplococci bacteria responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.N...
, at the dermatological
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
clinic, and under German physician Albert Fränkel
Albert Fraenkel (1848-1916)
Albert Fraenkel was a German physician.He received his education at the gymnasium of his native town and at the University of Berlin, whence he graduated as doctor of medicine in 1870...
at the women's clinic. He also trained with Paul Zweifel
Paul Zweifel
Paul Zweifel was a German gynecologist and physiologist. In 1876 he proved that the fetus was metabolically active....
at the women's clinic in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
Blumberg began his professional career in 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...
where he specialised in gynaecology
Gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
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...
. Early in his career he invented the Blumberg sign to indicate peritonitis
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. Investigating methods of sterilisation
Sterilization (microbiology)
Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...
of the surgeon's hands resulted in his invention of a type of rubber glove that was widely adopted by his medical colleagues. World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
required him to fight with the German army and he successfully brought a typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
in a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp under control by delousing 10.000 Russian POWs in a few days. He was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
and received decorations from several other countries.
After the war, Blumberg resumed his surgical practice and organised many prenatal care
Prenatal care
Prenatal care refers to the medical and nursing care recommended for women before and during pregnancy. The aim of good prenatal care is to detect any potential problems early, to prevent them if possible , and to direct the woman to appropriate specialists, hospitals, etc...
clinics in Berlin, one of which was the Beulah Clinic which Blumberg personally directed. He also began working in the new fields of radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
and radium therapy and founded an X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
and radium institute in Berlin. With the rise of the Nazi Party he left Germany
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...
and moved to Belsize Park
Belsize Park
Belsize Park is an area of north-west London, England, in the London Borough of Camden.It is located north-west of Charing Cross and situated on the Northern Line. It borders Hampstead to the north and west, Kentish Town and Gospel Oak to the east, Camden Town to the south east and Primrose Hill...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he successfully continued his medical work and where his portrait was painted by the renowned artist Arthur Pan
Arthur Pan
Professor Arthur Pan was a Hungarian artist and portrait painter, whose subjects included Winston Churchill.-Life and work:...
. In 1935 he had obtained a quantity of radium from the Curie Institute, founded by Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
in Paris, to help set up his elder son Ernst Friedrich Blumberg's practice in London. This work resulted in Ernst writing the treatise Health through radium therapy in 1950.
Blumberg married Charlotte Haas and they had two sons. The elder son Ernst Friedrich Blumberg M.D. (1908–1973) was also a notable surgeon, gynaecologist and radium therapist who married the Canadian artist Marion Harding in 1960, London, England.