Anton Freiherr von Tröltsch (3 April 1829 – 9 January 1890) was a German

otologist Otology is a branch of medicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear (hearing and vestibular sensory systems and related structures and functions) as well as their diseases, diagnosis and treatment. Otologic ...

who was a native of

Schwabach Schwabach () is a German city of about 40,000 inhabitants near Nuremberg in the centre of the region of Franconia in the north of Bavaria. The city is an autonomous administrative district (''kreisfreie Stadt''). Schwabach is also the name of th ...

Professor Anton Friedrich von Tröltsch 1869 O

Academic career

He studied sciences at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...

, and afterwards studied medicine at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

, where in 1853 he received his medical doctorate. He continued his education in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

with

Albrecht von Graefe Albrecht von Graefe may refer to: * Albrecht von Graefe (ophthalmologist) (1828-1870), Prussian opthalmologist * Albrecht von Graefe (politician) Albrecht von Graefe (1 January 1868 – 18 April 1933) was a German landowner and right-wing ...

(1828–1870), and in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

with

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

Carl Ferdinand von Arlt Carl Ferdinand Ritter von Arlt (April 18, 1812 – March 7, 1887) was an Austrian ophthalmologist born in Ober-Graupen, a village near Teplitz (Teplice) in Bohemia. He earned his doctorate in Prague in 1839, and later became a professor of opht ...

(1812–1887). In addition he studied otological medicine in the British Isles with

Joseph Toynbee Joseph Toynbee FRS (30 December 1815 Another son, Harry Valpy Toynbee (1861–1941), was the father of universal historian Arnold J. Toynbee, and archaeologist and art historian Jocelyn Toynbee. He died on 7 July 1866, at 18, Saville Row, M ...

(1815–1866) and

William Wilde Sir William Robert Wills Wilde FRCSI (March 1815 – 19 April 1876) was an Irish oto-ophthalmologic surgeon and the author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore, particularly concerning his native Ireland. He was the fath ...

(1815–1876). He subsequently returned to

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, where in 1864 he became an associate professor (extraordinarius). Among his better known students were otologists Friedrich Bezold (1842–1908) and Abraham Kuhn (1838–1900).

Work in otology

Tröltsch was a pioneer of modern otology, and made improvements involving diagnostics and pathological-anatomical research in the study of the ear. He is credited for popularizing the "reflecting aural mirror" (a device consisting of a

concave mirror A curved mirror is a mirror with a curved reflecting surface. The surface may be either ''convex'' (bulging outward) or ''concave'' (recessed inward). Most curved mirrors have surfaces that are shaped like part of a sphere, but other shapes are ...

with an aperture in the center) for use in

otoscopy An otoscope or auriscope is a medical device which is used to look into the ears. Health care providers use otoscopes to screen for illness during regular check-ups and also to investigate ear symptoms. An otoscope potentially gives a view of ...

. In 1864, with

Adam Politzer Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Book of Genesis, Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a coll ...

(1835–1920) and Hermann Schwartze (1837–1910), he founded the first journal dedicated to ear disorders, called ''Archiv für Ohrenheilkunde'' (Archive for Otology). His name is lent to "Tröltsch's recesses", or singularly called the "anterior and posterior pouches of Tröltsch", which are anatomical spaces between the malleolar folds and the

tympanic membrane In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear. Its function is to transmit sound from the air ...

. Today in Germany, the "Anton von Tröltsch Prize" is an annual award given to the best published work in the field of ENT, (Ear, Nose and Throat).Anton von Tröltsch-Preis
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie Also, a specialized medical tool known as "Troeltsch

forceps Forceps (plural forceps or considered a plural noun without a singular, often a pair of forceps; the Latin plural ''forcipes'' is no longer recorded in most dictionaries) are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Fo ...

" is named after him.

Terms

* Troeltsch's spaces — Two small pouches of

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

in the upper part of the attic of the

middle ear The middle ear is the portion of the ear medial to the eardrum, and distal to the oval window of the cochlea (of the inner ear). The mammalian middle ear contains three ossicles, which transfer the vibrations of the eardrum into waves in the ...

. :

Dorland's Medical Dictionary ''Dorland's'' is the brand name of a family of medical reference works (including dictionaries, spellers and word books, and spell-check software) in various media spanning printed books, CD-ROMs, and online content. The flagship products are ''Do ...

(1938)

Published works

* "The diseases of the ear, their diagnosis and treatment: a text-book of aural surgery in the form of academical lectures by Anton von Tröltsch"; translated from the German and edited by D.B. St. John Roosa. New York: William Wood, 1864 * ''Die Untersuchung des Gehörorganes an der Leiche''; in

Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (; or ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder ...

's Archiv (3/1858) - Investigation of the auditory organs. * ''Die Untersuchung des Gehörgangs und Trommelfells. Ihre Bedeutung. Kritik der bisherigen Untersuchungsmethoden und Angabe einer neuen.''; Deutsche Klinik Berlin (12/1860) - Examination of the

ear canal The ear canal (external acoustic meatus, external auditory meatus, EAM) is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The adult human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about in length and in diameter. Struc ...

and

eardrum In the anatomy of humans and various other tetrapods, the eardrum, also called the tympanic membrane or myringa, is a thin, cone-shaped membrane that separates the external ear The outer ear, external ear, or auris externa is the extern ...

. Their importance. Critique of existing research methods and specification of a new one. * ''Die Anatomie des Ohrs in ihrer Anwendung auf die Praxis und die Krankheiten des Gehörorgans''; Würzburg (1861) - Anatomy of the ear, etc. * ''Lehrbuch der Ohrenkrankheiten''; Würzburg (1862) - Textbook on ear diseases.

Notes

Sources

* This article incorporates translated text from an equivalent article at the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

, whose references include:
Wikisource:ADB
Anton Friedrich Freiherr von Troeltsch. {{DEFAULTSORT:Troltsch, Anton Friedrich von 1829 births 1890 deaths People from Schwabach Barons of Germany German otolaryngologists Academic staff of the University of Würzburg