Julius Hirschberg (18 September 1843 – 17 February 1925) was a German

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 ...

and medical

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He was of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

ancestry. In 1875, Hirschberg coined the term "campimetry" for the measurement of the

visual field The visual field is "that portion of space in which objects are visible at the same moment during steady fixation of the gaze in one direction"; in ophthalmology and neurology the emphasis is mostly on the structure inside the visual field and it i ...

on a flat surface (tangent screen test) and in 1879 he became the first to use an

electromagnet An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by an electric current. Electromagnets usually consist of wire (likely copper) wound into a electromagnetic coil, coil. A current through the wire creates a magnetic ...

to remove metallic

foreign bodies A foreign body (FB) is any object originating outside the body of an organism. In machinery, it can mean any unwanted intruding object. Most references to foreign bodies involve propulsion through natural orifices into hollow organs. Foreign b ...

from the

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

.Manage Account - Modern Medicine
at www.ophthalmologytimes.com In 1886, he developed the Hirschberg test for measuring

strabismus Strabismus is an eye disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is pointed at an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...

. His series ''Geschichte der Augenheilkunde'' (''History of Ophthalmology''), nine volumes written from 1899 to 1917, is considered by some to be one of his greatest achievements.

Selected publications

* ** Vol. 1. ''Geschichte der Augenheilkunde im Alterthum'' ** Vol. 2. ''Geschichte der Augenheilkunde im Mittelalter'' ** Vol. 3. ''Die vernehmlichsten Augenärzte und Pfleger der Augenheilkunde im 18. Jahrhundert und ihre Schriften'' ** Vol. 4. ''Deutschland's Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850'' ** Vol. 5. ''Frankreichs Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850'' ** Vol. 6. ''Englands Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850'' ** Vol. 7. ''Italiens Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850'' ** Vol. 8, Part A. ''Die Augenärzte der Schweiz, von 1800 bis 1850''; ''Die Augenärzte Belgiens, von 1800 bis 1850''; ''Niederländische Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850''; ''Die Skandinavischen Augenärzte, von 1800 bis 1850''; ''Die Augenärzte Rußlands, von 1800 bis 1850''; ''Polnische Augenärzte, im 19. Jahrhundert''; ''Die Augenärzte in der Iberischen und der Balkan-Halbinsel, sowie in den Außereuropäischen Ländern während des Neunzehnten Jahrhunderts'' ** Vol. 8, Part B. ''Amerikas Augenärzte im 19. Jahrhundert''

Notes

External links

Pubmed

* * * 1843 births 1925 deaths 19th-century German Jews German ophthalmologists Jewish German scientists {{Germany-med-bio-stub