Theodor Ziehen is remembered in medicine for work that altered practice rather than merely argument.
The record lists Theodor Ziehen as German neurologist (1862–1950).
Theodor Ziehen was born at Frankfurt in 1862. His recorded nationality is Germany. He trained at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and University of Würzburg.
Anaesthesia, antisepsis and germ theory arrived within fifty years and made modern surgery possible for the first time.
His posts were held at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Utrecht University.
Most medical progress is invisible: it shows up as an illness that no longer kills anyone.
That the work was done from Germany matters: hospitals, training and research funding are unevenly distributed, and they decide which questions can be asked.
Theodor Ziehen died in 1950, aged 88. What survives is the change in practice, which is how a medical life is actually measured.
Achievements
- Held posts at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Utrecht University
