Fritz Lange (21 June 1864 in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

– 19 November 1952 in

Wackersberg Wackersberg is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...

) was a German

orthopedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (American and British English spelling differences, alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgic ...

. He studied medicine at the universities of

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, receiving his doctorate in 1892. He furthered his education in

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

and

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, where he was pupil of Otto Wilhelm Madelung. In 1895 he studied orthopedics under

Adolf Lorenz Adolf Lorenz (21 April 1854, Vidnava – 12 February 1946, Sankt Andrä-Wördern) was an Austrian orthopedic surgeon. Career He studied medicine at the University of Vienna and subsequently worked as an assistant to surgeon Eduard Albert (1841� ...

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. ...

, and during the following year, obtained 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 ...

for orthopedic surgery. In 1908 he became a full professor of orthopedics at the University of Munich.Lange, Fritz
in:

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

13 (1982), S. 557. In 1909 he was named president of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädische Chirurgie (German Society for Orthopedic Surgery). He was an editor of the periodical "''Münchener Medizinischen Wochenschrift''" (Munich Medical Weekly). He made contributions in his research of congenital hip dislocation,

torticollis Torticollis, also known as wry neck, is an extremely painful, dystonic condition defined by an abnormal, asymmetrical head or neck position, which may be due to a variety of causes. The term ''torticollis'' is derived . The most common case ha ...

scoliosis Scoliosis (: scolioses) is a condition in which a person's Vertebral column, spine has an irregular curve in the coronal plane. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others ...

and

spinal tuberculosis Pott's disease, or Pott disease, named for British surgeon Percivall Pott who first described the symptoms in 1799, is tuberculosis of the spine, usually due to haematogenous spread from other sites, often the lungs. The lower thoracic and up ...

. He is remembered for his pioneer work with

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

transplants and artificial

ligament A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have liga ...

s (made of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

Selected works

* ''Chirurgie und orthopädie im kindesalter'', with Hans Spitzy, 1910 – Surgery and orthopedics in childhood. * ''Lehrbuch der Orthopädie'', 1914 – Textbook of orthopedics. * ''Die behandlung der knochenbrüche durch den praktischen arzt'', 1926 – On treatment of bones. * ''Die epidemische kinderlähmung'', 1930 – The

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

epidemic. * ''Die sprache des menschlichen antlitzes; eine wissenschaftliche physiognomik und ihre praktische verwertung im leben und in der kunst'', 1937 – Language of the human face; scientific

physiognomy Physiognomy () or face reading is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without referenc ...

and its practical utilization in life and art.Most widely held works about Fritz Lange
WorldCat Identities

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lange, Fritz 1864 births 1952 deaths People from Dessau-Roßlau University of Jena alumni Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Leipzig University alumni Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich German orthopedic surgeons