Robert Meyer (11 January 1864, in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

– 12 December 1947, in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

) 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 ...

. He studied medicine at the universities of

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 ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

and

Strassburg 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 ...

, receiving his doctorate at the latter institution in 1889. From 1890 to 1894 he was a medical practitioner in the community of Dedeleben, and afterwards worked as assistant to gynecologist Johann Veit 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 ...

.Menghin - Pötel / edited by Rudolf Vierhaus
Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopaedie
at

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

From 1909 to 1911 he was head of the laboratory in the women's clinic at the Berlin Charité, and in 1912 succeeded

Carl Arnold Ruge Carl Arnold Ruge (24 September 1846 – 15 April 1926) was a German pathologist who was a native of Berlin. He is credited for contributions made in the early detection of uterine cancer. Ruge was a nephew of pathologist Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902) ...

as chief of the pathological institute of the university women's clinic. In 1932 he became an honorary professor to the faculty of medicine at the university. Because of his

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

ancestry, he was removed from his position at Berlin in 1935. Subsequently, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Minneapolis in 1939.ArchivesSpace Public Interface , UA , Robert O. Meyer papers
/ref> He is remembered for his research involving the

embryology Embryology (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logy, -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the Prenatal development (biology), prenatal development of gametes (sex ...

and

histopathology Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: 'tissue', 'suffering', and '' -logia'' 'study of') is the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Specifically, in clinical medicine, histopatholog ...

of the

reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are al ...

. He held a particular interest in embryonic tissue anomalies. Within the field of

urology Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...

, he defined the "Weigert-Meyer rule". This rule describes the typical anatomic relationship of two

ureter The ureters are tubes composed of smooth muscle that transport urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In an adult human, the ureters typically measure 20 to 30 centimeters in length and about 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter. They are lin ...

s in a duplicated renal collecting system, as well as the resulting patterns of hydronephrosis, obstruction, and reflux. This pattern was first described by Dr.

Karl Weigert Karl Weigert, Carl Weigert (19 March 1845 in Münsterberg in Silesia – 5 August 1904 in Frankfurt am Main) was a German Jewish pathologist. His nephew was Fritz Weigert and his cousin was Paul Ehrlich. He received his education at the un ...

in 1877 and further defined as a "rule" by Meyer in 1946.

Associated works

* ''Über epitheliale Gebilde im Myometrium des fötalen und kindlichen Uterus'', 1899. * ''Studien zur Pathologie der Entwicklung'', with Ernst Schwalbe (2 volumes 1914–20). * "Autobiography of Dr. Robert Meyer (1864-1947); a short abstract of a long life". With a memoir of Dr. Meyer by Emil Novak, 1949.HathiTrust Digital Library
(published works)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Robert 1864 births 1947 deaths Physicians from Hanover Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin University of Strasbourg alumni German gynaecologists German pathologists German histologists German embryologists Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States People from the Kingdom of Hanover