Richard Cassirer (23 April 1868 – 20 August 1925) was a German

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

born into a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish family in Breslau. After receiving his medical doctorate in 1891, he became assistant at the

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psyc ...

clinic in Breslau under

Karl Wernicke Carl (or Karl) Wernicke (; ; 15 May 1848 – 15 June 1905) was a German physician, anatomist, psychiatrist and neuropathologist. He is known for his influential research into the pathological effects of specific forms of encephalopathy and al ...

(1848–1905). In 1893 he relocated to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where he furthered his studies with

Richard von Krafft-Ebing Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (full name Richard Fridolin Joseph Freiherr Krafft von Festenberg auf Frohnberg, genannt von Ebing; 14 August 1840 – 22 December 1902) was a German psychiatrist and author of the foundational work '' Psychopath ...

(1840–1902) and

Heinrich Obersteiner Heinrich Obersteiner (13 November 1847 – 19 November 1922) was an Austrian neurologist born in Vienna. In 1870 earned his doctorate from the University of Vienna, where he worked in the laboratory of Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke (1819–1892). I ...

(1847–1922). Later, he became professor of neurology at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (german: link=no, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick Will ...

, where he worked closely with

Hermann Oppenheim Hermann Oppenheim (1 January 1858 – 5 May 1919) was one of the leading neurologists in Germany. Life and work Oppenheim is the son of Juda Oppenheim (1824–1891), the long-time rabbi of the Warburg synagogue community , and his wife, Cäcil ...

(1858–1919). As a clinical neurologist, Cassirer specialized on the

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the 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 science, having its ...

of the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

, and made contributions in his research of multiple sclerosis,

encephalitis Encephalitis is inflammation of the Human brain, brain. The severity can be variable with symptoms including reduction or alteration in consciousness, headache, fever, confusion, a stiff neck, and vomiting. Complications may include seizures, hal ...

and

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

. Among his written works was a new edition (1923) of Oppenheim's ''Lehrbuch der Nervenkrankheiten für Ärzte und Studierende''. In 1912 he first described a

circulatory disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

marked by an association of ovarian insufficiency and

acrocyanosis Acrocyanosis is persistent blue or cyanotic discoloration of the extremities, most commonly occurring in the hands, although it also occurs in the feet and distal parts of face.Kurklinsky AK, Miller VM, Rooke TW. "Acrocyanosis: The Flying Dutchma ...

with vasomotor-trophic disturbance of the skin, and disturbances of sensitivity caused by dysregulation of the vegetative nervous system which has been given the eponymic name of "Cassirer's syndrome" or "Crocq-Cassirer syndrome". In 1921, Dr. Cassirer was asked to give testimony in regards to the mental condition of

Soghomon Tehlirian Soghomon Tehlirian ( hy, Սողոմոն Թեհլիրեան; April 2, 1896 – May 23, 1960) was an Armenian revolutionary and soldier who assassinated Talaat Pasha, the former Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, in Berlin on March 15, 1921. He ...

, a man accused of murdering

Talaat Pasha Mehmed Talaat (1 September 187415 March 1921), commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha,; tr, Talat Paşa, links=no was an Ottoman politician and convicted war criminal of the late Ottoman Empire who served as its leader from 1913 t ...

. Cassirer maintained that Tehlirian was not sane when he carried out the crime due to a psychotic state caused as a result of his family being victims of a war-time massacre. Cassirer's portrait was painted by renowned artist

Max Liebermann Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...

in 1918, and later presented to the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

in London. Several other members of his family included the art dealer and editor

Paul Cassirer Paul Cassirer (21 February 1871, in Görlitz – 7 January 1926, in Berlin) was a German art dealer and editor who played a significant role in the promotion of the work of artists of the Berlin Secession and of French Impressionists and Post-Im ...

, the publisher and gallery owner

Bruno Cassirer Bruno Cassirer (12 December 1872 – 29 October 1941Barbara Falk: ''No Other Home: an Anglo-Jewish family in Australia 1833–1987'', Penguin Books, Melbourne, 1988.) was a publisher and gallery owner in Berlin who had a considerable influence on ...

and the philosopher

Ernst Cassirer Ernst Alfred Cassirer ( , ; July 28, 1874 – April 13, 1945) was a German philosopher. Trained within the Neo-Kantian Marburg School, he initially followed his mentor Hermann Cohen in attempting to supply an idealistic philosophy of science. ...

Written works

* ''Die vasomotorisch-trophischen neurosen''. Berlin, 1901; 2nd edition, 1912. * ''Die multiple Sklerose''. Leipzig, 1905. * ''Die beschäftigungsneurosen''. Deutsche Klinik, volume 6, page 1; Leipzig and Vienna, 1906. * ''Die vasomotorisch-trophischen Neurosen''. In: Handbuch der Neurologie; volume 5, Berlin. 1914. * ''Krankheiten des Rückenmarks und der peripherischen Nerven''. In: Julius Schwalbe (1863-1930), publisher: Diagnostische und therapeutische Irrtümer und deren Verhütung. Leipzig, 1921; 2nd edition with Richard Henneberg (1868-1962), 1926. * ''Vasomotorisch-trophische Erkrankungen''. In:

Friedrich Kraus Friedrich Kraus (31 May 18581 March 1936) was an Austrian internist. He was born in Bodenbach, Bohemia and died in Berlin. He is remembered for his achievements in the field of electrocardiography and his work in colloid chemistry. Academi ...

(1858-1936),

Theodor Brugsch Theodor Brugsch (11 October 1878 – 11 July 1963) was a German internist and politician. Early life Theodor Brugsch was born in Graz. Theodor Brugsch's father had been born in Berlin, and it was in Berlin that the son received his schooling ...

(1878-1963): Spezielle Pathologie und Therapie. Volume 10, page 3 9 volumes, Berlin and Vienna, 1919-1929

References

Biographical details and documents relating to Richard Cassirer

Details of the Trial of Soghomon Tehlirian
(biography included)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassirer, Richard 1868 births 19th-century German Jews German neurologists 1925 deaths Physicians from Wrocław Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin People from the Province of Silesia