Hans Christian Jacobaeus (29 May 1879 – 29 October 1937) was a Swedish

internist 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 th ...

born in Skarhult. In 1916 he became a professor at the

Karolinska Institutet The Karolinska Institute (KI; ; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden and one of the foremost medical research institutes globally. ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. From 1925 until his death in 1937, he was a member of 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 ...

Committee. Jacobaeus was an important figure in regards to modern

laparoscopy Laparoscopy () is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.Medli ...

and

thoracoscopy Thoracoscopy is a medical procedure involving internal examination, biopsy and/or resection/drainage of disease or masses within the pleural cavity, usually with video assistance. Thoracoscopy may be performed either under general anaesthesia o ...

. In 1910 he is credited with performing the first thoracoscopic diagnosis with a

cystoscope Cystoscopy is endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra. It is carried out with a cystoscope. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The cystoscope has lenses like a telescope or microscop ...

, being used on a patient with tubercular intra-thoracic adhesions. In 1910, he published an article titled ''Über die Möglichkeit die Zystoskopie bei Untersuchung seröser Höhlungen anzuwenden'' (The Possibilities for Performing Cystoscopy in Examinations of Serous Cavities) in the journal ''Münchner Medizinischen Wochenschrift''. He also did pioneer work involving abdominal endoscopy, which he called laparoscopy. The term "laparoscopy" was introduced into clinical medicine and is used up to now although Jacobaeus initially called the procedure "cystoscopy" of the serious cavities. He understood the possibilities, as well as the limitations of the procedure, and was an advocate of

endoscopic An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...

training for medical personnel. He also stressed the need for specialized instruments for optimum performance during laparoscopic examinations. Jacobaeus' initial experience with abdominal endoscopy (laparoscopy) as described in Münch Med Wochenschr in 1910, was basically limited to the patients with ascites (17 patients), he reported only about two cases without ascites. In 1912, Jacobaeus published in Germany an extensive work on new technique - he gave an exact description of the patients' conditions and the 97 laparoscopies performed between 1910 and 1912 in Stockholm's community hospital. In 1901

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

physician

Georg Kelling Georg Kelling (7 July 1866 – 14 February 1945) was a German internist and surgeon who was a laparoscopy pioneer and in 1901 performed the first laparoscopic surgery on a dog. He studied medicine at the Universities of Leipzig and Berlin. He ...

(1866–1945) performed a cystoscope-aided intervention of a dog's abdomen. Kelling also claimed to have performed two successful laparoscopic examinations on humans prior to Jacobaeus, but nonetheless failed to timely publish his experiences. Hans Christian Jacobaeus was the father of

Christian Jacobæus Anton Christian Jacobæus (1911 in Stockholm, Sweden–1988) was a Swedish electrical engineer, known for his contributions to teletraffic engineering, especially in the design of the modern crossbar switch used for telephone switching. Jacob ...

, a Swedish electrical engineer.

The Jacobæus Prize

The Jacobæus Prize, ''(also known as the "Jacobaeus Prize")'' is regarded as a prestigious recognition within the field of medical research. It is an annual award given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pra ...

, particularly in the areas of

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

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 ...

. The prize was established to commemorate the legacy of Hans Christian Jacobæus, whose innovative work in the early 20th century laid the groundwork for

minimally invasive surgery Minimally invasive procedures (also known as minimally invasive surgeries) encompass surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by definition ...

techniques. The award is sponsored by the

Novo Nordisk Foundation The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) is an international enterprise foundation focusing on medical treatment and research. In 2023, the foundation had a net worth of DKK 1,114 billion (167 billion), making it the wealthiest charitable foundation ...

References

Journal of Endourology
Hans Christian Jacobaeus: Inventor of Human Laparoscopy and Thoracoscopy
Minimally Invasive Surgery, Department of Surgery
History of Minimally Invasive Surgery *Jacobaeus HC. Ueber die Möglichkeit die Zystokopie bei Untersuchung seröser Höhlungen anzuwenden. Münch Med Wochenschr. 1910; 57: 2090–2092 *Jacobaeus HC. Über Laparo- und Thorakoskopie. Beitr Klin Tuberk. 1912; 25: 185–354 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobaeus, Hans Christian 1879 births 1937 deaths Internists Swedish physicians Academic staff of the Karolinska Institute Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences