Leo Buerger
Encyclopedia
Leo Buerger was an Austria
n pathologist, surgeon
and urologist. Buerger's disease
is named for him.
At a New York City college from 1897, he obtained a (B.A.) then a general (M.A. 1901), followed by medical studies at the (College of Physicians and Surgeons
(M.D. 1901). He graduated from Columbia University
in New York.
(1901-1904), then the Mount Sinai Hospital
(1904-05), then as a volunteer in the surgical clinic at Wrocław with study visits to Vienna and Paris
. From 1907 to 1920, Buerger worked as a pathologist and surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital. There in 1908 he
gave the first accurate pathological description of thromboangiitis obliterans or Buerger's disease, a disease of the circulatory system associated with smoking first reported by Felix von Winiwarter
in 1879.
Later, as a surgeon, he practiced at several other clinics in New York: Beth David Hospital, Bronx Hospital, and Wyckoff Heights Hospital, Brooklyn. In 1917 he received a professorship at the Medical Urology Outpatient Clinic New York, which he held until 1930. He then took up a similar position of the College of Medical Evangelists, Los Angeles (California), but worked there for only a short time before returning to New York to work in private practice.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n pathologist, 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 urologist. Buerger's disease
Buerger's disease
Thromboangiitis obliterans is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis of small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet...
is named for him.
Family and education
In 1880 his family emigrated to the United States, and he attended several elementary schools in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.At a New York City college from 1897, he obtained a (B.A.) then a general (M.A. 1901), followed by medical studies at the (College of Physicians and Surgeons
College of Physicians and Surgeons
There are several educational institutions that are called the College of Physicians and Surgeons:*The College of Physicians and Surgeons which merged with the University of Maryland School of Medicine...
(M.D. 1901). He graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York.
Career
Initially Buerger practiced at the Lenox Hill HospitalLenox Hill Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital, on Manhattan's Upper East Side in New York City, is a 652-bed, acute care hospital and a major teaching affiliate of New York University Medical Center. Founded in 1857 as the German Dispensary, today's 10-building Lenox Hill Hospital complex has occupied its present site since...
(1901-1904), then the Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
(1904-05), then as a volunteer in the surgical clinic at Wrocław with study visits to Vienna and 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...
. From 1907 to 1920, Buerger worked as a pathologist and surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital. There in 1908 he
gave the first accurate pathological description of thromboangiitis obliterans or Buerger's disease, a disease of the circulatory system associated with smoking first reported by Felix von Winiwarter
Felix von Winiwarter
Felix von Winiwarter was an Austrian physician who was a native of Vienna. In 1876 he earned his doctorate at the University of Vienna, and remained in Vienna as an assistant in the clinic of Heinrich von Bamberger...
in 1879.
Later, as a surgeon, he practiced at several other clinics in New York: Beth David Hospital, Bronx Hospital, and Wyckoff Heights Hospital, Brooklyn. In 1917 he received a professorship at the Medical Urology Outpatient Clinic New York, which he held until 1930. He then took up a similar position of the College of Medical Evangelists, Los Angeles (California), but worked there for only a short time before returning to New York to work in private practice.
Publications
Buerger alone or in collaboration wrote more than 160 articles in various scientific journals.- Thrombo-Angiitis Obliterans: A study of the vascular lesions leading to presenile spontaneous gangrene. Am J Med Sci 136 (1908) 567
- The pathology of the vessels in cases of gangrene of the lower extremities due to so-called endarteritis obliterans. Proc NY Pathol Soc 8 (1908) 48 Proc Soc NY Pathol 8 (1908) 48
- Diseases of the Circulatory Extremities. 1924