Otto Bollinger (2 April 1843 – 13 August 1909) was a German

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

born in Altenkirchen, Kusel,

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

. In 1868, he obtained his doctorate in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and two years later received his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

. He taught classes at the ''Tierärtzliche Hochschule'' in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and in 1874 became an associate professor at the ''Tierarzneischule'' in Munich. In 1880, he succeeded

Ludwig von Buhl Ludwig von Buhl (4 January 1816 – 30 July 1880) was a German pathologist born in Munich. He studied medicine in Munich and Vienna, and in 1847 was habilitated as a lecturer of pathological anatomy and microscopy at the University of Munich. In 1 ...

(1816-1880) as professor of general pathology and

pathological anatomy Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross examination, macroscopic, Histopathology, microscopic, biochemical, immu ...

at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. Bollinger had an extensive background in

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

and was known for his studies of

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

in the days before the discovery of an anti-rabies

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...

. In 1877, he described the etiologic agent of bovine

actinomycosis Actinomycosis is a rare infectious disease, infectious bacterial disease caused by the gram-positive ''Actinomyces'' species. The name refers to ray-like appearance of the organisms in the granules. About 70% of infections are due to either ''Acti ...

("lumpy jaw"), an organism that is now referred to as ''

Actinomyces bovis ''Actinomyces bovis'' is a branching, Gram Stain, Gram-positive, Bacillus (shape), rod-shaped bacterium of the genus ''Actinomyces''. It is the causative agent of lumpy jaw in cattle, and occasionally causes actinomycosis infections in humans. ' ...

''.
Principles of microbiology by Veranus Alva Moore He is credited with describing the

inclusion bodies Inclusion bodies are aggregates of specific types of protein found in neurons, and a number of tissue (biology), tissue cells including red blood cells, bacteria, viruses, and plants. Inclusion bodies of aggregations of multiple proteins are also ...

found in tissue cells in

fowlpox Fowlpox is the worldwide disease of poultry caused by viruses of the family ''Poxviridae'' and the genus '' Avipoxvirus''. The viruses causing fowlpox are distinct from one another but antigenically similar, possible hosts including chickens, tu ...

. These bodies contain the fowlpox

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

and are now referred to as Bollinger bodies. His name is also associated with "Bollinger granules", defined as small yellowish-white granules that cluster, contain micrococci, and are seen in the

granulation tissue Granulation tissue is new connective tissue and microscopic blood vessels that form on the surfaces of a wound during the healing process. Granulation tissue typically grows from the base of a wound and is able to fill wounds of almost any size ...

of botryomycosis. In 1891, Bollinger provided an early description of a delayed traumatic

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

he called "''traumatische Spät-Apoplexie''". Today, this condition is called "delayed traumatic

intracerebral hematoma Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

" or (DTICH). His research was based on four patients who suffered a head injury, in which death occurred days to weeks later from an apoplectic event.

References

1843 births 1909 deaths People from Kusel (district) Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich German pathologists People from the Palatinate (region) {{Germany-med-bio-stub