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Rudolph Carl Virchow was born October 13, 1821, in Schivelbein, Prussia (the province of Pomerania), which today is part of Poland. In 1838, Virchow won a scholarship to Friedrich-Wilhelms Institute to study medicine. In 1843, he graduated as a doctor of medicine. He gained employment in the Charité Hospital as a "junior surgeon" which would compare to an American medical internship. He worked under Johannes Müller, a renowned physician who supported scientific rigor and is known as the father of the German scientific method in medicine. He also worked with Robert Froriep who demonstrated to Virchow the advantages of the microscope. Letters written to his father show he was liked by his colleagues and fond of his patients. He worked in a variety of wards (ophthalmology, scabies, internal disease, psychiatric). In 1846, he became Prosector of Charité, with the recommendation of Froriep. In 1847, he was named Privatdozent (a lecturer who is not paid). During this time Virchow continued a friendship with Benno Reinhardt. Reinhardt worked for Carl Mayer, a noted gynecologist. Virchow listened to the liberal ideas of Mayer and his family. The ideas struck a chord with Virchow and impacted his thinking about society. The advancement of women was not considered a liberal idea, and by today's standards, Virchow would be labeled an extreme sexist. In his day, Virchow's thinking matched much of society. At this time, he also met Rose Mayer, Dr. Mayer's daughter, whom Virchow would later marry. The then current theory of disease involved an imbalance of the four fluid humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). Virchow disagreed with this theory and held that outside stimuli affected cells and diseased cells came from already diseased cells. His interest in cells and disease would involve him for much of his career. In 1848, he was sent to Upper Silesia ( which today is part of Poland) to investigate the outbreak of typhus which had reached epidemic status. Virchow's report included information on geography, social norms, living conditions, and medical practices. He covered case histories and treatments. His strong opinions and political activism prompted him to openly advise that to avoid future epidemics, the region should be granted self-government, free democracy, tax reform, the end of feudalism, and a constitution. Virchow returned to Berlin where he remained politically active. He wrote, "Physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor." The government took notable exception with Dr. Virchow and his ideas. He was suspended. Although the suspension was soon lifted, Virchow now seriously considered offers he had been receiving from the University of Würzburg, where two of his friends already worked. In 1849, he married Rose Mayer and became the chair of pathological anatomy Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Rudolph Virchow - Founder of Modern Pathology in Biographies of Scientists is owned by Jackie DiGiovanni. Permission to republish Rudolph Virchow - Founder of Modern Pathology in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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