Philipp Phoebus (23 May 1804, Märkisch-Friedland in

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and from 1878 to 1919. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773, formed from Royal Prussia of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

– 1 July 1880,

Gießen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the German state () of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 university students. Th ...

) was a German physician and

pharmacologist Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...

. He studied medicine at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, obtaining his doctorate in 1827. Afterwards he continued his education in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

with

Johann Lukas Schönlein Johann Lukas Schönlein (30 November 1793 – 23 January 1864) was a German naturalist, and professor of medicine, born in Bamberg. He studied medicine at Landshut, Jena, Göttingen, and Würzburg. After teaching at Würzburg and Zurich, he was ...

(1793-1864) and

Karl Friedrich Heusinger Karl Friedrich Heusinger (28 February 1792 – 5 May 1883) was a German pathologist who was a native of Farnroda. He studied medicine in Jena and Marburg, and afterwards was an assistant to Karl Gustav Himly (1772–1837) at the University of ...

(1792-1883), in Paris under

Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis Pierre-Charles-Alexandre Louis (14 April 178722 August 1872) was a French physician, clinician and pathologist known for his studies on tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and pneumonia, but Louis's greatest contribution to medicine was the development ...

(1787-1872) and at

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, where he focused on

anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

studies. Following travels in Switzerland and northern Italy, he returned to Berlin, where in 1832 he became

privat-docent ''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualifi ...

for normal 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 ...

His interests soon turned to

pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...

. In 1835 he relocated to Stolberg, where along with a medical practice, he conducted pharmacological and

toxicological Toxicology is a scientific discipline (academia), discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnos ...

research. In 1843 he was appointed chair of pharmacology at the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the German-speaking world. It is named afte ...

, a position he held until health reasons forced an early retirement in 1865. Phoebus was one of the 56 founding members of the

Freies Deutsches Hochstift The Freies Deutsches Hochstift (Free German Foundation) is a literary association based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is the owner of the Goethe House, the place where the playwright and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born and spent his ...

(Free German Foundation) in 1859. During his later years he worked hard for reforms within the

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

system. He was an advocate for the training and employment of female pharmacy assistants, and believed in an academic qualification of pharmacists. He also strove (unsuccessfully) for the creation of an international "Pharmacopoeia Europaea".

Selected writings

* ''Ueber den Leichenbefund bei der orientalischen Cholera'', 1833. * ''Handbuch der Arzneiverordnungslehre'', 1836. * ''Abbildung und Beschreibung der in Deutschland wildwachsenden und in Gärten im Freien ausdauernden Giftgewächse'', 1838 (with

Johann Friedrich von Brandt Johann Friedrich von Brandt (25 May 1802 – 15 July 1879) was a German-Russian natural history, naturalist, who worked mostly in Russia. Brandt was born in Jüterbog and educated at a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium in Wittenberg and the Humboldt ...

(1802-1879) and

Julius Theodor Christian Ratzeburg Julius Theodor Christian Ratzeburg (16 February 1801– 24 October 1871) was a German zoology, zoologist, botany, botanist, entomology, entomologist, and forestry, forester. Biography Ratzeburg was born in Berlin, the son of a professor at th ...

(1801-1871). * ''Der typische frühsommer-katarrh, oder Das sogenannte heufieber, heu-asthma'', 1862.WorldCat Identities
(publications)

References

biography of Philipp Phoebus
@

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB; ) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences between 1875 and 1912 in 56 volumes, printed in Lei ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phoebus, Philipp 1804 births 1880 deaths Scientists from the Kingdom of Prussia People from Mirosławiec People from West Prussia Academic staff of the University of Giessen German pharmacologists Founding members of the Freies Deutsches Hochstift