Ludwig Mauthner was an Austrian neuroanatomist and ophthalmologist who was a native of Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

.

He studied medicine at the University of Vienna

University of Vienna

The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...

, where he received his doctorate in 1861. In 1864 he was a privatdozent

Privatdozent

Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...

of ophthalmology

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...

, and in 1869 became a professor at the University of Innsbruck. In 1877 he resigned his position at Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

, and returned to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 as a private instructor.

In 1859, while still a student, Mauthner discovered a fibrous structure in the spinal cord

Spinal cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...

 of fishes that contained two large cell bodies in the animals' metencephalon

Metencephalon

The metencephalon is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system. The metencephalon is composed of the pons and the cerebellum; contains a portion of the fourth ventricle; and the trigeminal nerve , abducens nerve , facial nerve , and a portion of the vestibulocochlear...

. These cells were to become known as Mauthner cells, and are known to exist in amphibian

Amphibian

Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...

s as well as fish. Mauthner cells have large-diameter axon

Axon

An axon is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body or soma....

s which run down the length of the spinal cord.

Mauthner wrote numerous treatises in the field of ophthalmology

Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...

, including Die sympathischen Augenleiden, a book which was translated into English in 1881 as "The sympathetic diseases of the eye".

• Associated Eponyms:
• Mauthner's sheath: The plasma membrane
  Biological membrane
  A biological membrane or biomembrane is an enclosing or separatingmembrane that acts as a selective barrier, within or around a cell. It consists of a lipid bilayer with embedded proteins that may constitute close to 50% of membrane content...
  
   of an axon
  Axon
  An axon is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body or soma....
  
  ; also known as an axolemma
  Axolemma
  The axolemma is the cell membrane surrounding an axon. It is responsible for maintaining the membrane potential of the neuron, and it contains ion channels through which ions can flow. When this occurs, the voltage inside the axon changes, and depolarization or hyperpolarization of the membrane can...
  
  .
• Mauthner's test: A test formerly used for color perception.