Alfons Edler von Rosthorn (19 September 1857 – 9 August 1909) was a

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

who was native of Oed, a village that is located in the district of

Wiener Neustadt-Land Bezirk Wiener Neustadt is a district of the state of Lower Austria in Austria. Municipalities Suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters. * Bad Erlach **Brunn bei Pitten, Erlach, Linsberg * Bad ...

. In 1885 he earned his doctorate from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, where he studied

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

and medicine, and was a student of

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

Theodor Billroth Christian Albert Theodor Billroth (26 April 18296 February 1894) was a German surgeon and amateur musician. As a surgeon, he is generally regarded as the founding father of modern abdominal surgery. As a musician, he was a close friend and conf ...

(1829-1894). Afterwards, he became an assistant to Rudolf Chrobak (1843-1910) at the second university ''Frauenklinik'' in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In 1891 he was habilitated for gynecology and

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

, and in 1894 became a full professor of OB/GYN at the University of Prague. Later, he was a professor at the Universities of

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

(from 1899),

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

(from 1902) and

(from 1908). Rosthorn Maske

Rosthorn was the author of numerous works involving gynecological disorders. His better known publications were a treatise on

pelvic The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an anatomical trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis or pelvic skeleton). ...

tissue diseases called ''Die Krankheiten des Beckenbindegewebes'', and an 1896 work on diseases of the female sex organs titled ''Die Erkrankungen der weiblichen Geschlechtsorgane'', the latter being co-authored with Rudolf Chrobak. Rosthorn is credited with the design of a specialized mask for application of

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...

anesthesia Anesthesia (American English) or anaesthesia (British English) is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prev ...

. Rostorn's wife was the opera singer Helene Wiet whom he married in 1899.Kornberger, Monika (2015)
"Wiet (verh. Edle von Rosthorn), Helene"
''

Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon The ''Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon'Oesterreichisch'' with ''Oe'' is the spelling of the print and online output. (, ) is a five-volume music encyclopedia founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Commission for Music Research. It was offic ...

'', Online version retrieved 16 July 2019 (in German).

References

Pagel: Biographical Dictionary
(translated from German)
Antiquariat für Medizin
(Biographical information) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosthorn, Alfons von Gynaecologists Physicians from Austria-Hungary 1857 births 1909 deaths Edlers of Austria Academic staff of Heidelberg University Academic staff of the University of Graz Academic staff of the University of Vienna