Eduard von Hofmann (27 January 1837 – 27 August 1897) was an Austrian physician who was a native of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. He was a pioneer of modern

forensic pathology Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...

. In 1861 he earned his medical doctorate at

Charles University in Prague Charles University ( cs, Univerzita Karlova, UK; la, Universitas Carolina; german: Karls-Universität), also known as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague ( la, Universitas Pragensis, links=no), is the oldest an ...

, and in 1869 became a professor of ''Staatsarzneikunde'' (state medical research) at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

. He obtained this position with assistance from

Carl Rokitansky Baron Carl von Rokitansky (german: Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky, cs, Karel Rokytanský; 19 February 1804 – 23 July 1878) was a Bohemian physician, pathologist, humanist philosopher and liberal politician, founder of the Viennese School of Medi ...

(1804–1878). In 1875, he became a professor of

forensic medicine Forensic medicine is a broad term used to describe a group of medical specialties which deal with the examination and diagnosis of individuals who have been injured by or who have died because of external or unnatural causes such as poisoning, assa ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

.ADB:Hofmann, Eduard Ritter von
In:

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

Hofmann is remembered for his diligent work in development of

as a separate scientific entity. He is credited for introducing and expanding methodologies such as

microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

and laboratory animal experimentation into forensic medicine at

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He wrote two important books; ''Lehrbuch für gerichtliche Medizin'' ("Textbook of Forensic Medicine") and ''Atlas der gerichtlichen Medizin'' ("Atlas of Legal Medicine"), the latter of which was translated into English. Hofmann was instrumental in

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

studies of the nearly 400 victims who perished at the Viennese

Ringtheater The Ringtheater was a popular theater in Vienna, Austria. In 1881, it was destroyed in the Ringtheater fire that killed 384 people. The site now houses the federal headquarters of police for Vienna. Construction The Ringtheater was built between ...

fire on December 8, 1881, where

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

was deemed to be an underlying cause of death. Also, he conducted the report on the controversial death of

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

(1858–1889) at

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in the ...

. With

Hermann Reinhard Hermann Reinhard (15 November 1816, Dresden – 10 January 1892) was a German physician and entomologist. He specialised in Hymenoptera (bees and their relatives). Reinhard's medical practice was in Bautzen. In 1881 he worked with Eduard von Hof ...

(1816–1892), he was one of the founders of

forensic entomology Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the colonization of a dead body by arthropods. This includes the study of insect types commonly associated with cadavers, their respective life cycles, their ecological presences in a given environme ...

Works

*Observation de larves de Diptéres sur des cadavres exhumés (Observation on

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

larvae on exhumed corpses), ''C.R. Séances Soc. Ent. Bel''. 74 (1886) 131–132 (in French). *Fliegeneier in den Augen- und Mundwinkeln (Fly eggs in eyes and corners of the mouth), ''Gerichtliche Medicin'', J. F. Lehmanns Verlag, München, 1898, p. 188 (in German) *Hochgradige faule, zum grossen Teil von Fliegenmaden aufgefressene Leiche eines alten Mannes, die erst 16 Tage nach dem Tode aufgefunden wurde (Corpse of an old man found in the stage of advanced putrefaction with marked feeding defects of fly maggots 16 days post mortem),''Gerichtliche Medicin'', Verlag J.F. Lehmann, München, 1898, pp. 192–193 (in German).Forensic Entomology: International Dimensions and Frontiers
edited by Jeffery Keith Tomberlin, M. Eric Benbow

References

* ''This article incorporates some translated text from an equivalent article at the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Wikipedia'', which includes
biography
@

. Forensic pathologists Austrian pathologists 1837 births 1897 deaths Physicians from Prague Academic staff of the University of Vienna Academic staff of the University of Innsbruck Charles University alumni {{austria-med-bio-stub