Richard von Volkmann (17 August 1830 – 28 November 1889) was a prominent

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and author of poetry and fiction. Some of his works were illustrated by his son, Hans, a well known artist.

Biography

He was born 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 ...

on 17 August 1830, the son of physiologist A.W. Volkmann. Richard entered medical school 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 graduated in 1854. In 1867 he was appointed Professor of Surgery and Director of the Surgical Clinic at Halle where he remained until retirement. He was one of the most prominent surgeons of his day. He died in

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

Achievements

* Performed the first excision of

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesoder ...

of the

rectum The rectum (: rectums or recta) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the gut in others. Before expulsion through the anus or cloaca, the rectum stores the feces temporarily. The adult ...

in 1878. * Described Volkmann's Ischaemic Contracture in 1881. * Devised a splint and a spoon which bear his name. * His treatment of articular

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 ...

heralded attempts at preventive surgery. * In 1894 he described three patients with scrotal

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

who worked with

paraffin Paraffin may refer to: Substances * Paraffin wax, a white or colorless soft solid (also in liquid form) that is used as a lubricant and for other applications * Liquid paraffin (drug), a very highly refined mineral oil used in cosmetics and for med ...

and

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

. * He was an early supporter of

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of aseptic, antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the Sur ...

, and helped the introduction of antiseptic surgery throughout

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. * He invented the surgical retractor, now known as the Volkmann rectractor. Volkmann Retractor 1

Writings

He edited (1870–89) ''Beiträge zur Chirurgie'', and contributed to Franz von Pitha and

Theodor Billroth Christian Albert Theodor Billroth (26 April 18296 February 1894) was a German surgeon and amateur musician. As a surgeon, he is generally regarded as the founding father of modern abdominal surgery. As a musician, he was a close friend and conf ...

's ''Handbuch der Chirurgie'' a section on diseases of the locomotory organs (1865–72). He wrote ''Bemerkungen über einige vom Krebs zu trennende Geschwülste'' (1858). Under the pseudonym Richard Leander, he wrote: * ''Träumereien an französischen Kaminen'' (Reveries at French hearths, 1871; 24th ed. 1894), a work for young people * ''Aus der Burschenzeit'' (From boyhood, 1876) * ''Gedichte'' (Poems, 3d ed. 1885) * ''Kleine Geschichten'' (Little stories, 2d ed. 1888) * ''Alte und neue Troubadourlieder'' (Old and new

troubador A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tro ...

songs, 2d ed. 1890)

References

Sources

* * This work in turn cites: ** Krause, ''Zur Erinnerung an Richard von Volkmann'' (Berlin, 1890) *

External links

* * Richard Leander,
German Fantasies by French Firesides
', translated by Pauline C. Lane. {{DEFAULTSORT:Volkmann, Richard von 1830 births 1889 deaths German surgeons Physicians from Leipzig People from the Kingdom of Saxony Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg alumni Academic staff of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg University of Giessen alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Writers from Leipzig