Emil Knauer (27 February 1867 – 14 May 1935) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

gynecologist and obstetrician.

Career

Knauer was born in 1867 as the son of baker Georg Knauer (1822–1878) and his wife Karoline (1829–1905). After completing his schooling in his hometown, he studied medicine 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 ...

from autumn 1885 onwards.
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. ...

he completed training in

pathological anatomy Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross examination, macroscopic, Histopathology, microscopic, biochemical, immu ...

under Johann Kundrat and in

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

under

Hermann Nothnagel Carl Wilhelm Hermann Nothnagel (; 28 September 1841 – 7 July 1905) was a German internist, born in Alt-Lietzegöricke, near Bärwalde in der Neumark, Neumark, Brandenburg. Career The son of a pharmacist, from 1858 to 1863 Nothnagel studi ...

. In 1891 Knauer got his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

and worked from October 1891 at the

surgical Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery ...

clinic of

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 ...

.
In April 1893 he went to II. University Women's Hospital under Rudolf Chrobak, where he qualified in July 1901 for obstetrics and gynaecology

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 ...

.
Knauer had already published his first experimental work on hormonal control of sexual functions as an assistant. They led to the revision of the previous theory of a nerval reflex effect between

ovulation Ovulation is an important part of the menstrual cycle in female vertebrates where the egg cells are released from the ovaries as part of the ovarian cycle. In female humans ovulation typically occurs near the midpoint in the menstrual cycle and ...

and

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and Mucous membrane, mucosal tissue from the endometrium, inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized ...

. By transplanting ovaries in

rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...

he suspected the existence of a chemical substance produced in the

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

and an internal secretion of the organ. His findings were soon confirmed by experiments of the young Josef Halban at the I. University Women's Hospital Vienna.
Knauer, Halban and Ludwig Fraenkel, who proved the endocrinological function of the

corpus luteum The corpus luteum (Latin for "yellow body"; : corpora lutea) is a temporary endocrine structure in female ovaries involved in the production of relatively high levels of progesterone, and moderate levels of estradiol, and inhibin A. It is the ...

, are regarded today as the founders of gynaecological

endocrinology Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the ...

.Hellmuth Pickel: ''Emil Knauer (1867-1935) Ein früher Pionier der gynäkologischen Endokrinologie.'' Gynäkologe 49 (2016), p. 294-296, DOI:10.1007/s00129-016-3845-x
In April 1903 he succeeded Alfons von Rosthorn, who moved to the University Heidelberg, as

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

.
Here he mainly dedicated himself to the extension of the clinic, which was rebuilt in 1912 according to his plans. He was the academic teacher of Paul Mathes, Hermann Knaus and Hans Zacherl.
He managed the university women's clinic for almost 32 years until his death in 1935. He rejected several calls to other universities. He was also a member of the

Academic Senate An academic senate, sometimes termed faculty senate, academic board or simply senate, is a governing body in some universities and colleges, typically with responsibility for academic matters and primarily drawing its membership from the academic ...

for 17 years.
Emil Knauer was married and father of 8 children.

Selected publications

* } * Emil Knauer: ''For ovarian transplantation (birth at the normal end of pregnancy after ovarian transplantation in rabbits).'' Zentralbl Gynäkol 22 (1898), pp. 201–203 * Emil Knauer: ''Ovarian Transplantation (Experimental Study).'' Arch Gynecol 60 (1900), pp. 322–376

Literature

* Hans Zacherl: ''In memoriam Hofrat Prof. Dr. Emil Knauer.'' Monatsschr Geburtshilfe Gynäkol 99 (1935), pp. 379–380 * Hermann Knaus: ''Emil Knauer, Graz †.'' Arch Gynäk 159 (1935), p. 429, DOI:10.1007/BF02280559 * Victor Cornelius Medvei: ''The birth of endocrinology Part III.'' In: ''The History of Clinical Endocrinology: A Comprehensive Account of Endocrinology from Earliest Times to the Present Day.'' CRC Press, 1993, , p. 203 * Otto Weininger: ''Sex, Science, and Self in Imperial Vienna.'' In: Chandak Sengoopta: ''The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society.'' University of Chicago Press, 2000, , p. 77

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knauer, Emil 1867 births 1935 deaths 19th-century Austrian people 20th-century Austrian people Austrian gynaecologists Academic staff of the University of Graz