Robert Wartenberg
Encyclopedia
Robert Wartenberg was an American neurologist.
Wartenberg was born in 1886 in Grodno, Belarus
, then in the Russian Empire
. He graduated from the University of Rostock
, Germany
in 1919. He worked with Max Nonne
in Hamburg
and Otfrid Foerster
in Breslau. In 1933, he became head of the neurological clinic at Freiburg
and Privatdozent in neurology. However, he was persecuted by the Nazis
, and in 1935 he left Germany and settled in San Francisco. In 1952 he was appointed clinical professor of neurology at the University of California
. He is the inventor of the Wartenberg Wheel
.
Wartenberg was born in 1886 in Grodno, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, then in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He graduated from the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...
, 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...
in 1919. He worked with Max Nonne
Max Nonne
Max Nonne was a German neurologist.Max Nonne was educated at the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums. He studied in Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Berlin, receiving his doctorate at Hamburg University in 1884...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Otfrid Foerster
Otfrid Foerster
Otfrid Foerster was a German neurologist and neurosurgeon, who made innovative contributions to neurology and neurosurgery, such as rhizotomy for the treatment of spasticity, anterolateral cordotomy for pain, the hyperventilation test for epilepsy, Foerster's syndrome, the first electrocorticogram...
in Breslau. In 1933, he became head of the neurological clinic at Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
and Privatdozent in neurology. However, he was persecuted by the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, and in 1935 he left Germany and settled in San Francisco. In 1952 he was appointed clinical professor of neurology at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. He is the inventor of the Wartenberg Wheel
Wartenberg wheel
A Wartenberg wheel, also called a Wartenberg pinwheel or Wartenberg neurowheel, is a medical device for neurological use. It was originally designed by Dr Robert Wartenberg to test nerve reactions as it rolled systematically across the skin. A Wartenberg wheel is generally made of stainless steel...
.
See also
- Wartenberg's disease (syn.: Cheiralgia parestheticaCheiralgia parestheticaCheiralgia paresthetica is a neuropathy of the hand generally caused by compression or trauma to the superficial branch of the radial nerve. The area affected is typically on the back or side of the hand at the base of the thumb, near the anatomical snuffbox, but may extend up the back of the thumb...
): A sensitive neuropathy involving the superficial branch of the radial nerve. - Wartenberg's signWartenberg's signWartenberg's sign is a neurological sign due to incorrect regeneration of the 7th cranial nerve fibers. This usually follows Bell's palsy and other conditions. It presents as "jaw-winking" and involuntary closure of the eyelid....
: In ulnar paralysis the little finger is in a position of abduction. - Wartenberg's syndromeWartenberg's SyndromeA specific mononeuropathy, caused by entrapment of the superficial branch of the radial nerve. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, and weakness of the posterior aspect of the thumb....
: Radial nerve entrapment at the forearm. - Wartenberg wheelWartenberg wheelA Wartenberg wheel, also called a Wartenberg pinwheel or Wartenberg neurowheel, is a medical device for neurological use. It was originally designed by Dr Robert Wartenberg to test nerve reactions as it rolled systematically across the skin. A Wartenberg wheel is generally made of stainless steel...
: A medical device for neurological use. - Wartenbergs migratory sensory neuropathyWartenbergs migratory sensory neuropathyWartenberg's migratory sensory neuropathy is a rare condition identified by Robert Wartenberg in 1958 which is easy to confuse with the early stages of multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome...
: A benign, relapsing and remitting condition involving pain, numbness and parasthesias in the sensory and peripheral nerves.