Anton Freiherr von Tröltsch (3 April 1829 – 9 January 1890) was a German

otologist Otology is a branch of medicine which studies normal, pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear (hearing). Otology also studies vestibular sensory systems, related structures and functions, as well as their diseases, diagnosis and treat ...

who was a native of

Schwabach Schwabach () is a German city of about 40,000 inhabitants near Nuremberg in the centre of the region of Franconia in the north of Bavaria. Together with the neighboring cities of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen, Schwabach forms one of the three me ...

Academic career

He studied sciences at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, and afterwards studied medicine at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...

, where in 1853 he received his medical doctorate. He continued his education in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

with

Albrecht von Graefe Albrecht von Graefe may refer to: * Albrecht von Graefe (ophthalmologist) (1828-1870), Prussian ophthalmologist * Albrecht von Graefe (politician) (1868-1933), German politician and landowner {{hndis, Graefe, Albrecht von ...

(1828–1870), and in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

with

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

Carl Ferdinand von Arlt Carl Ferdinand Ritter von Arlt (18 April 1812 – 7 March 1887) was an Austrian ophthalmologist born in Ober-Graupen, a village near Teplitz (Teplice) in Bohemia. He earned his doctorate in Prague in 1839, and later became a professor of opht ...

(1812–1887). In addition he studied otological medicine in the British Isles with

Joseph Toynbee Joseph Toynbee FRS (30 December 1815 Another son, Harry Valpy Toynbee (1861–1941), was the father of universal historian Arnold J. Toynbee, and archaeologist and art historian Jocelyn Toynbee. He died on 7 July 1866, at 18, Savile Row, ...

(1815–1866) and

William Wilde Sir William Robert Wills Wilde Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, FRCSI (March 1815 – 19 April 1876) was an Irish Otology, oto-Ophthalmology, ophthalmologic surgeon and the author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore ...

(1815–1876). He subsequently returned to

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

, where in 1864 he became an associate professor (extraordinarius). Among his better known students were otologists

Friedrich Bezold Friedrich Bezold (9 February 1842 – 5 October 1908) was a German otologist and professor at the University of Munich. He made several contributions to early audiology. He is best known for developing hearing tests with tuning forks and his work ...

(1842–1908) and Abraham Kuhn (1838–1900).

Work in otology

Tröltsch was a pioneer of modern otology, and made improvements involving diagnostics and pathological-anatomical research in the study of the ear. He is credited for popularizing the "reflecting aural mirror" (a device consisting of a

concave mirror A curved mirror is a mirror with a curved reflecting surface. The surface may be either ''convex'' (bulging outward) or ''concave'' (recessed inward). Most curved mirrors have surfaces that are shaped like part of a sphere, but other shapes are ...

with an aperture in the center) for use in

otoscopy An otoscope or auriscope is a medical device used by healthcare professionals to examine the ear canal and eardrum. This may be done as part of routine physical examinations, or for evaluating specific ear complaints, such as earaches, sense o ...

. In 1864, with

Adam Politzer Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam sin ...

(1835–1920) and

Hermann Schwartze Hermann Hugo Rudolf Schwartze (7 September 1837 – 20 August 1910) was a German aurist, born at Neuhof in Pomerania and educated in Berlin and Würzburg. He settled in Halle, where he became assistant professor of otology at its university. On ...

(1837–1910), he founded the first journal dedicated to ear disorders, called ''Archiv für Ohrenheilkunde'' (Archive for Otology). His name is lent to "Tröltsch's recesses", or singularly called the "anterior and posterior pouches of Tröltsch", which are anatomical spaces between the malleolar folds and the

tympanic membrane In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit changes in pressur ...

. Today in Germany, the "Anton von Tröltsch Prize" is an annual award given to the best published work in the field of ENT, (Ear, Nose and Throat).Anton von Tröltsch-Preis
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie Also, a specialized medical tool known as "Troeltsch

forceps Forceps (: forceps or considered a plural noun without a singular, often a pair of forceps; the Latin plural ''forcipes'' is no longer recorded in most dictionaries) are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forcep ...

" is named after him.

Terms

* Troeltsch's spaces — Two small pouches of

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...

in the upper part of the attic of the

middle ear The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear). The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes), which transfer the vibrations ...

. :

Dorland's Medical Dictionary ''Dorland's'' is the brand name of a family of medical reference works (including dictionaries, spellers and word books, and spell-check software) in various media spanning printed books, CD-ROMs, and online content. The flagship products are ''Do ...

(1938)

Published works

* "The diseases of the ear, their diagnosis and treatment: a text-book of aural surgery in the form of academical lectures by Anton von Tröltsch"; translated from the German and edited by D.B. St. John Roosa. New York: William Wood, 1864 * ''Die Untersuchung des Gehörorganes an der Leiche''; in

Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow ( ; ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder of ...

's Archiv (3/1858) - Investigation of the auditory organs. * ''Die Untersuchung des Gehörgangs und Trommelfells. Ihre Bedeutung. Kritik der bisherigen Untersuchungsmethoden und Angabe einer neuen.''; Deutsche Klinik Berlin (12/1860) - Examination of the

ear canal The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM) is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The adult human ear canal extends from the auricle to the eardrum and is about in length and in diameter. S ...

and

eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit changes in pres ...

. Their importance. Critique of existing research methods and specification of a new one. * ''Die Anatomie des Ohrs in ihrer Anwendung auf die Praxis und die Krankheiten des Gehörorgans''; Würzburg (1861) - Anatomy of the ear, etc. * ''Lehrbuch der Ohrenkrankheiten''; Würzburg (1862) - Textbook on

ear diseases In vertebrates, an ear is the organ that enables hearing and (in mammals) body balance using the vestibular system. In humans, the ear is described as having three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear cons ...

Notes

Sources

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

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia () is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on 16 March 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia edition (after the English Wikipedia). It has articles, ma ...

, whose references include:
Wikisource:ADB
Anton Friedrich Freiherr von Troeltsch. {{DEFAULTSORT:Troltsch, Anton Friedrich von 1829 births 1890 deaths People from the Kingdom of Bavaria People from Schwabach German barons German otolaryngologists Academic staff of the University of Würzburg