Moritz Benedikt also spelt Moriz (4 July 1835, in

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074. In the Habsburg ...

, Sopron County – 14 April 1920, in Vienna) was a Hungarian- Austrian neurologist who was a native of Eisenstadt. He was an instructor and professor of neurology at the University of Vienna. Benedikt was a physician with the Austrian army during the Second Italian War of Independence (1859) and the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...

. Benedikt was a specialist in the fields of electrotherapeutics and neuropathology. His name is lent to the eponymous "

Benedikt's syndrome Benedikt syndrome, also called Benedikt's syndrome or paramedian midbrain syndrome, is a rare type of posterior circulation stroke of the brain, with a range of neurological symptoms affecting the midbrain, cerebellum and other related structures. ...

", a disease characterized by ipsilateral oculomotor

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

with contralateral tremor and hemiparesis caused by a lesion involving the red nucleus and corticospinal tract in the midbrain tegmentum. Benedikt is remembered today for his controversial research in criminal anthropology. He performed numerous

cephalometric Cephalometry is the study and measurement of the head, usually the human head, especially by medical imaging such as radiography. Craniometry, the measurement of the cranium (skull), is a large subset of cephalometry. Cephalometry also has a his ...

studies, and postulated that there were specific differences between "normal" and "criminal brains". He explained his research on the subject in a book titled "Anatomical Studies upon the Brains of Criminals" (title of English translation). Benedikt is credited for coining the word "darsonvalisation" to describe therapeutic or experimental applications of pulsed high frequency (110–400 kHz) high voltage (around 10–20 kV) current of a few mA. Sources which cite power ic/nowiki> of 100–200 mA should be disregarded; this implies power in the order of kilowatts. Darsonvalisation was named in honor of French biophysicist Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval (1851–1940). Benedikt also took an interest in dowsing ( radiesthesia), writing two books on this subject ''Leitfaden der Rutenlehre'' (eng. ''Guideline to use of Divining Rods'') and ''Ruten- und Pendellehre'' (eng. ''Instructions in Diving Rods and Pendulums'')

Publications

* Moriz Benedikt: ''Die psychologischen Funktionen des Gehirnes in gesundem und kranker Zustand'',

Wiener Klinik Wiener (from German: "Viennese") may refer to: Food * A Polish sausage (kielbasa) or "wenar" * A Vienna sausage of German origin, named after the capital of Austria * A hot dog, a cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a ...

: Vorträge; Jg. 1, H. 7, Wien, 1875 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Zur Lehre von der Localisation der Gehirnfunctionen'', Wiener Klinik: Vorträge; Jg. 9, H. 5-6, Vienna, 1875 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Ueber Katalepsie und Mesmerismus'', Wiener Klinik: Vorträge; Jg. 6, H. 3/4, Vienna, 1880 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Ueber Elektricität in der Medicin'', Wiener Klinik: Vorträge; Jg. 10, H. 2, Vienna, 1884 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Grundformeln des neuropathologischen Denkens'', Wiener Klinik: Vorträge; Jg. 11, H. 4, Vienna, 1885 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Hypnotismus und Suggestion'', Breitenstein, Leipzig, 1894 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Seelenkunde des Menschen als reine Erfahrungswissenschaft'', Reisland, Leipzig, 1895 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Krystallisation und Morphogenesis'', Perles, Vienna, 1904 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Aus meinem Leben: Erinnerungen und Erörterungen'', Konegen, Vienna, 1906 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Biomechanik und Biogenesis'', , Jena, 1912 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Die latenten (Reichenbach'schen) Emanationen der Chemikalien'', Konegen, Vienna, 1915 * Moriz Benedikt: ''Leitfaden der Rutenlehre (Wünschelrute)'', Urban & Schwarzenberg, Vienna, 1916; modern edition * Moriz Benedikt: ''Ruten- und Pendellehre'', , Vienna, 1917

Sources

Moritz Benedikt’s Localization of Morality in the Occipital Lobes
Short Biography of Moritz Benedikt

@ Who Named It * , Dr Moritz Benedikt, Verlagsbuchhandlung Carl Konegen, Vienna, 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedikt, Moritz 1835 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Hungarian people 19th-century Austrian people 20th-century Austrian people Austrian neurologists Hungarian neurologists Academics of the University of Vienna Hungarian Jews People from Eisenstadt