Martin Blochwich (c. 1602 – 10 September 1629) was a German

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and author. He wrote the first book, ''The Anatomy of the Elder'', about the medicinal uses of the European

elderberry ''Sambucus'' is a genus of between 20 and 30 species of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly referred to as elder, with the flowers as elderflower, and the fruit as elderberry. Description Elders are most ...

tree (''

Sambucus nigra ''Sambucus nigra'' is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Viburnaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry. It grows in ...

''), which still is regarded as the standard text for the practice.

School and studies

After his elementary school years in Großenhain, Blochwich was accepted by the Fürstenschule Schulpforta in

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...

(

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the M ...

), where he obtained his university entrance qualification in 1622. He studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

until 1626. On 4 July 1626, the Medical Faculty of the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

(Switzerland) awarded him a doctorate degree.

Life and work

After his studies, Blochwich worked temporary in Großenhain, where he may have also researched his comprehensive work ''The Anatomy of the Elder''. There are references to patients from Großenhain, which indicate this. In 1628 he settled in Oschatz.

Early death

On 10 September 1629, Martin Blochwich died at the age of 26-27 in Oschatz. The cause of his death is unknown.

''The Anatomy of the Elder''

In this book, Blochwich described the cultivated plant in three units over 298 pages. *Unit 1: The

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

of the elder with an explanation of the origin of the name, as well as where it could be found, its growth and characteristics. *Unit 2: In six chapters Blochwich described the preparation of

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

compote Compote or compôte (French for ''stewed fruit'') is a dessert originating in medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...

, oil, tablets, ointment, juice,

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

, spirit, water, wine and sugar made of elder in detail and gave recipes. *Unit 3: Thirty-three chapters about the treatment of diseases. Recipes have exact descriptions for the production of medicines made of

elderflower ''Sambucus'' is a genus of between 20 and 30 species of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly referred to as elder, with the flowers as elderflower, and the fruit as elderberry. Description Elders are mostl ...

, elderberry, elder marrow and elder bark. The book also contains references to the opinions of famous doctors from the Greek/Roman eras the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. These sections provided advice to doctors of Blockwitz's era on using elder preparations internally and externally. The conditions include breast and

uterine The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more fertilized eggs until bir ...

diseases,

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...

, tumours,

infectious diseases infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

, lung disease,

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

intestines The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

spleen The spleen (, from Ancient Greek '' σπλήν'', splḗn) is an organ (biology), organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The spleen plays important roles in reg ...

and

gall bladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, althoug ...

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

and paralysis,

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, unclear fever and pain, poisonings, injuries, worm infestation and

toothache Toothaches, also known as dental pain or tooth pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or referred ...

Distribution of the book

* In 1631, two years after Blochwich's death, Johannes Blochwich, who may have been his brother, published the ''Anatomia Sambuci'', written in Latin, 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 ...

. *In 1642 the book was translated into German by Daniel Beckher, a professor of medicine in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

, who mentioned Blochwich's work in his own book ''Nützliche kleine Haus-Apotheke''. After 1642, Blochwich's book was reprinted in 1650, 1665 and 1685. It is the only translation into German. *In 1650 the Latin version of ''Anatomia Sambuci'' appeared in England. It was translated into English by Christopher Irvine in 1651 and published in English in 1655, 1670, 1677 on the recommendation of the British Royal Society. *In 2010 the ''Anatomia Sambuci'' was reprinted and an updated English version of ''Anatomia Sambuci'' appeared.

Memory honoured

On the occasion of the opening of the Elder Show Garden in Feldbach (Styria/Austria) a new elder variety previously known Klon B2 was renamed Blochwitz on 23 May 2013.

Different spellings of the name

Blochwich's name has been spelt in several ways, which may have been due to the path taken by his book from

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

in 1642 to London in 1650 and the related translations. The name has been written as Blockwich, Blockwitz, Blochwich and Blochwitz.

Literature

*Sepp Porta, Michael Hlatky, Johannes Christandl: ''Holunder-Wunderwelt; Verlagshaus der Ärzte''; 1. Auflage (2012): *Manfred Schollmeyer: ''Die Anatomie des Holunders und seine medizinische Anwendung''; Oschatzer Geschichts-und Heimatverein e. V.; 1. Auflage (2014):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blowich, Martin 1600s births 1629 deaths People from Großenhain people from the Electorate of Saxony 17th-century German physicians 17th-century German writers 17th-century German male writers