Anton Ghon (1 January 1866 – 23 April 1936) was an Austrian

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. 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 the context of modern medical treatme ...

and

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology— a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

. He is best known for his research on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

( Ghon's complex).

Biography

Ghon was born on January 1, 1866, in Villach. From 1884 to 1890, Ghon studied medicine at the university in

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 ...

. In 1890 he volunteered at the dermatologic clinic 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 1892, he became an aspirant to the pathologic-anatomic division at ''Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung'' (Rudolf Foundation). In 1893, he worked as demonstrator to the chair of pathological

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

and bacteriology and as of 1894 as assistant of Anton Weichselbaum (1845–1920) at the pathological-anatomical institute at 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 ...

. Anton Ghon travelled to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

in 1897 as a member of the Austrian delegation researching the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of Plague (disease), plague caused by the Bacteria, bacterium ''Yersinia pestis''. One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and ...

. For their findings on

aetiology Etiology (; alternatively spelled aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek word ''()'', meaning "giving a reason for" (). More completely, etiology is the study of the causes, origin ...

anatomical pathology Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination ...

and

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

, he and his colleagues were nominated for the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

in 1901. Ghon completed his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

in 1899 in Vienna and was appointed associate professor in 1902. In 1910 he became full professor of pathological

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

at the German University in Prague succeeding Richard Kretz. In 1910, Anton Ghon married Karoline Illatz in Vienna. Ghon retired in 1935 and died in Prague on April 23, 1936, shortly after retiring from his university position. His body was transferred to his hometown Villach and laid to rest in the family tomb.

Work

Ghon linked bacteriological and anatomic-histological methods for exploring

gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that, unlike gram-positive bacteria, do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. Their defining characteristic is that their cell envelope consists ...

diplococci, the pathogens of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

and gas gangrene (the bacillus oedematis maligni was also called Ghon-Sachs bacillus) as well as tuberculosis. He was a specialist in the field of

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the Morphology (biology), morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the iden ...

, and is remembered for his work with

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

and tuberculosis. His name is lent to

Ghon focus A Ghon focus is a primary lesion usually subpleural, often in the mid to lower zones, caused by ''mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium'' bacilli (tuberculosis) developed in the lung of a nonimmune host (usually a child). It is named for Anto ...

, which is a primary

infection An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

associated with tuberculosis, as well as Ghon's complex — when the aforementioned infection involves surrounding

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that includ ...

s. His best written effort is a 1912 treatise of childhood tuberculosis called ''Der primäre Lungenherd bei der Tuberkulose der Kinder''.

Honours

* 1898: Goldenes Verdienstkreuz mit der Krone (Golden Cross of Merit with the Crown) * 1899: Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna *1936: Honorary citizen (of Villach)

Written works

* ''Der primäre Lungenherd bei der Tuberkulose der Kinder'', (1912). * Publications about Anton Ghon: * "Ghon, but not forgotten, (Anton Ghon and his complex)"; WB Ober (1983).

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghon, Anton 1866 births 1936 deaths Scientists from Austria-Hungary Austrian pathologists Austrian bacteriologists People from Villach University of Graz alumni Pathologists from Austria-Hungary