Leonhard Ludwig Finke (1747–1837) was a German physician, known for his contributions to

medical geography 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 practice ...

Life

He was born 24 October 1747 in

Westerkappeln Westerkappeln is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km north-west of Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in w ...

. He studied medicine from 1769 in the

University of Halle Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

, obtaining there in 1772 his doctorate with the dissertation ''De salubritate febrium in morbis chronicis''. :de:s:ADB:Finke, Leonhard Ludwig Finke worked as doctor and obstetrician first in

Lengerich, Westphalia Lengerich (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Lengerke'') is a town in the Steinfurt (district), district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the southern slope of the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 15 km sout ...

, and later in Cassel. In 1776 he was employed in

Tecklenburg Tecklenburg () is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its name comes from the ruined castle around which it was built. The town is situated on the Hermannsweg hiking trail. The coat of arms shows an anchor ...

as medical officer and instructor in midwifery. From 1802 he worked in the same capacity in

Lingen Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2024, its population was 59,896 with 2,262 people who had registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is located on the river Ems ...

, remaining there until his death.

Works

Finke's major work was ''Versuch einer allgemeinen medicinisch-praktischen Geographie'' (3 volumes, 1792–95). It was the first work of medical geography with a world-wide scope. He was influenced by

Johann Peter Frank Johann Peter Frank (19 March 1745 – 24 April 1821) was a German physician and hygienist. Biography He was born in Rodalben. His first studies were in theology. He then studied medicine at the Universities of Strasbourg and Heidelberg, and ea ...

, and encouraged by

James Lind James Lind (4 October 1716 – 13 July 1794) was a Scottish physician. He was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy. By conducting one of the first ever clinical trials, he developed the theory that citrus fruits cured scurvy. Lind ...

. In turn, Finke influenced

August Hirsch August Hirsch (4 October 1817, Danzig – 28 January 1894, Berlin) was a German physician and medical historian. Biography He practiced in Danzig after studying at Berlin and Leipzig. In recognition of his studies on malarial fever and his wor ...

, and was a precursor of Humboldtian medicine. Finke worked on an unpublished

nosological Nosology () is the branch of medical science that deals with the Medical classification, classification of diseases. Fully classifying a medical condition requires knowing its cause (and that there is only one cause), the effects it has on the ...

map. It was based on the same principles as the zoological maps of

Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann Eberhardt August Wilhelm von Zimmermann (August 17, 1743, Uelzen – July 4, 1815, Braunschweig) was a German geographer and zoologist. He studied natural philosophy and mathematics in Leiden, Halle an der Saale, Halle, Berlin, and Göttin ...

, but with indigenous diseases instead of animals.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finke, Leonhard Ludwig 1747 births 1837 deaths 18th-century German physicians German geographers University of Halle alumni German obstetricians People from Steinfurt (district) Geographers from the Kingdom of Prussia 18th-century German geographers