Jacob Christian Bendz (20 March 1802 – 12 September 1858) was a Danish medical doctor, military surgeon and titular professor. He was created a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1846 and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1849. He was a brother of the painter

Wilhelm Bendz Wilhelm Ferdinand Bendz (20 March 1804 – 14 November 1832) was a Danish painter mainly known for genre works and portraits which often portray his artist colleagues and their daily lives. He was one of the most talented artists in the successful ...

and a son-in-law of the wealthy wine merchant Christian Waagepetersen. He also wrote "the first real Tarok book" on the game of Danish Tarok.

Early life and education

Bendz was born in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

the son of mayor Lauritz Martin Bendz (1751–1824) and his second wife Regine Christence Bang (1772–1854). He graduated from Odense Latin School in 1819 and then moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

where he graduated with distinctions from the Royal Academy of Surgery in 1825, He continued his education abroad in 1827–29.

Career

Bendz was a resident surgeon at the Royal Danish Academy of Surgery in 1829–33 and at Grederick's Hospitel in 1829–32. On 3 May 1833, he was appointed as Regimental Surgeon of the Guard Hussars at Jægersborg Barracks. He published a number of scientific papers and was from 1833 one of the publishers of Journal for Medicin og Chirurgie. On 27 September 1836, he became a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

. In 1842, he was appointed as Chief Physician at the Royal Guards on Foot. The title Chief Physician had replaced that of Regiment Surgeon in connection with the merger of the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

's Department of Medicine with the Royal Academy of Surgery. On 4 April 1838, he was appointed as titular professor.

Tarok

Bendz is recorded as the first author of a definitive book on Danish Tarok, an intricate card game related to German

Grosstarock Grosstarock () is an old three-handed card game of the Tarock family played with a full 78-card Tarot pack. It was probably introduced into the southern German states around 1720 but spread rapidly into Austria and northwards as far as the Nethe ...

that is still played in Denmark today. The book contains good instructions for playing the game in addition to the basic rules. The book is undated but was probably published around 1840.

Personal life

Bendz married Christine Sophie Waage Petersen (8 September 1810 – 10 February 1873) on 17 June 1830 in the Garrison Church in Copenhagen. She was a daughter of the wealthy wine merchant Christian Waagepetersen (1787–1840) and Albertine Emerence Schmidt (1793–1864). Bendz died on 12 December 1858 and is buried at the

Assistens Cemetery An Assistens Cemetery () is a cemetery that functions as an expansion of another, older cemetery often in relation to a city church. Already by the end of the 17th century, Danish authorities deemed that the conditions for inner-city cemeteries we ...

in Copenhagen.

Works

c. 1840. Untitled book described as "the first real Tarok book".

References

Bibliography

External links

Jacob Christian Bendz
at geni.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bendz, Jacob Christian 19th-century Danish physicians Danish surgeons People from Odense Burials at Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen) 1802 births 1858 deaths Card game book writers