Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz (; 11 August 1850 – 31 October 1921) was a Polish

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

born in

Żerków Żerków (; German: ''Zerkow'', 1943–1945 ''Bergstadt (Kr. Jarotschin'')) is a town in Jarocin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,076 inhabitants (2004). It is located 53 kilometers east of the regional capital of Poznań. Hi ...

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My Own Private Germany: Daniel Paul Schreber's Secret History of Modernity by Eric L. Santner

Biography

Adamkiewicz earned his medical doctorate in 1873 from the

University of Breslau A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

where he was a student-assistant to physiologist Rudolf Peter Heinrich Heidenhain. From 1879 until 1892, he was chief of general and experimental

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Adamkiewicz is remembered for his pathological examinations of the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

. His research of the variable

vascularity Vascularity, in bodybuilding, is the condition of having many highly visible, prominent, and often extensively-ramified superficial veins. The skin appears "thin"—sometimes virtually transparent—due to an extreme reduction of subcutaneous fa ...

of the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

was an important contribution to the development of modern clinical vascular surgery. He is credited with describing the major anterior segmental medullary artery, which is also known as the '' Artery of Adamkiewicz''. In the early 1890s, Adamkiewicz published a series of articles claiming the discovery of a cancer-causing

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

he called ''Coccidium sarcolytus'', as well as the existence of an anti-cancer serum. Further testing proved the serum a failure, and Adamkiewicz was severely criticized by the medical community at Jagiellonian University. Soon afterwards, he relocated to

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

, where he practiced medicine at Rothschild Hospital. He is credited for the creation of the Adamkiewicz test, a test for detecting

tryptophan Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromatic ...

, an α-

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha a ...

that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins.

References

External links

* * 1850 births 1921 deaths People from Jarocin County University of Breslau alumni Jagiellonian University faculty Polish pathologists {{Poland-med-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links