Theodor Bilharz
Encyclopedia
Theodor Maximilian Bilharz (March 23, 1825 – May 9, 1862) was a German
physician
and an important pioneer in the field of parasitology
.
and took an early interest in entomology
and studied philosophy for two years at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau. He studied medicine at the University of Tübingen, and in 1847 he won the medical faculty's prize competition for his dissertation on the blood of invertebrates. He graduated from Tübingen in 1848 as a pathologist
. He passed the state exam in 1848 and took a position as the Chief of Pathology at the University of Freiburg
.
, to Egypt and became the first chief of the surgery at the Kasr-el-Aini Medical School of Cairo
. There he also held the position of senior consultant for the department of internal medicine, and also served in the military where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel (Kaimakam.) In 1851, Bilharz discovered the cestode worm Hymenolepis nana living in the small intestine of an Egyptian male. Also, in 1851, during an autopsy, he discovered the trematode worm that is the cause of urinary schistosomiasis
, initially naming it Distomum haematobium. It was subsequently noted that only one of the suckers contained an oral cavity, and in 1856 Heinrich Meckel von Hemsbach proposed that the organism be renamed Bilharzia haematobium. In 1858 Weinland proposed the name Schistosoma (Greek: 'split body') after the male worms' morphology, and the name Schistosoma haematobium was officially adopted by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In 1853 Bilharz became chief of medicine, and in 1856 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy. He died on an expedition to Massawa
in 1862, of typhus, at the age of 37.
Bilharzia is a common name for schistosomiasis
.
The Theodor Bilharz Research Institute
in Giza, Egypt, is named in his honour, as is the crater Bilharz
on the Moon
.
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...
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...
and an important pioneer in the field of parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
.
Education
Bilharz attended the secondary school in SigmaringenSigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
and took an early interest in entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
and studied philosophy for two years at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg im Breisgau. He studied medicine at the University of Tübingen, and in 1847 he won the medical faculty's prize competition for his dissertation on the blood of invertebrates. He graduated from Tübingen in 1848 as a pathologist
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
. He passed the state exam in 1848 and took a position as the Chief of Pathology at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
.
Medical career
In 1850 he accompanied his former teacher, Wilhelm GriesingerWilhelm Griesinger
Wilhelm Griesinger was a German neurologist and psychiatrist born in Stuttgart. He studied under Johann Lukas Schönlein at the University of Zurich and physiologist François Magendie in Paris....
, to Egypt and became the first chief of the surgery at the Kasr-el-Aini Medical School of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. There he also held the position of senior consultant for the department of internal medicine, and also served in the military where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel (Kaimakam.) In 1851, Bilharz discovered the cestode worm Hymenolepis nana living in the small intestine of an Egyptian male. Also, in 1851, during an autopsy, he discovered the trematode worm that is the cause of urinary schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
, initially naming it Distomum haematobium. It was subsequently noted that only one of the suckers contained an oral cavity, and in 1856 Heinrich Meckel von Hemsbach proposed that the organism be renamed Bilharzia haematobium. In 1858 Weinland proposed the name Schistosoma (Greek: 'split body') after the male worms' morphology, and the name Schistosoma haematobium was officially adopted by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In 1853 Bilharz became chief of medicine, and in 1856 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy. He died on an expedition to Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
in 1862, of typhus, at the age of 37.
Bilharzia is a common name for schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematodes , a parasitic worm of the genus Schistosoma. Snails often act as an intermediary agent for the infectious diseases until a new human host is found...
.
The Theodor Bilharz Research Institute
Theodor Bilharz Research Institute
The Theodor Bilharz Research Institute is located in Giza, Egypt.Theodor Bilharz is a German scientist who discovered, in autopsy material at Kasr El Aini hospital, the causative agent of haematuria : Schistosoma worm, during his work in Egypt in 1851...
in Giza, Egypt, is named in his honour, as is the crater Bilharz
Bilharz (crater)
Bilharz is a lunar impact crater that lies in the eastern part of the Mare Fecunditatis. It is the largest member of a close triple-crater formation with Atwood to the east and Naonobu to the northeast. To the southeast is the prominent crater Langrenus....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
.