Anton Weichselbaum (8 February 1845 – 23 October 1920) was an Austrian

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. 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 us ...

and

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

born near the town of

Langenlois Langenlois () is a town at the Kamp river in the Kamptal, district of Krems-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Famous for its wine production, it is also home to the Loisium, a centre celebrating and advertising the local wine and built ...

. Weichselbaum was among the first scientists to recognize the importance of bacteriology for the field of

pathological anatomy Anatomical pathology (''Commonwealth'') or Anatomic pathology (''U.S.'') is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination ...

. In 1869, he received his medical doctorate in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and subsequently worked as an assistant to pathological anatomist

Josef Engel Josef Engel (born 3 July 1942) is a Czech former wrestler who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 19 ...

(1816–1899). In 1885, he was appointed an associate professor of pathological

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

and bacteriology, and from 1893 to 1916, he was director of the pathological-anatomical institute at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

. In 1912, he became university

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. Some of his better known assistants were serologist

Karl Landsteiner Karl Landsteiner (; 14 June 1868 – 26 June 1943) was an Austrian-born American biologist, physician, and immunologist. He distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern system of classification of blood groups from ...

(1868–1943), bacteriologist

Anton Ghon Anton Ghon (1 January 1866 – 23 April 1936) was an Austrian pathologist and bacteriologist. He is best known for his research on tuberculosis (Ghon's complex). Biography Ghon was born on January 1, 1866, in Villach. From 1884 to 1890, Ghon ...

(1866–1936) and

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

Josef Kyrle Josef Kyrle (8 December 1880 – 30 March 1926) was an Austrian pathologist and dermatologist who was a native of Schärding. He studied medicine at the University of Graz, and afterwards was an assistant to Anton Weichselbaum (1845–1920) at th ...

(1880–1926). In 1887, he was the first to isolate the causative agent of cerebrospinal

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, a

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

he named '' Diplococcus intracellularis meningitidis''. He conducted important research involving

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and is credited for founding the first ''Lungenheilstätte'' (pulmonary health institute) in Austria (

Alland Alland is a market town in the district of Baden in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Geography It is located in the Industrieviertel region of Lower Austria, about southwest of the Austrian capital Vienna. Alland is situated in a valley of th ...

Niederösterreich Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P� ...

). Also, he provided the first comprehensive description of local bone erosion in

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

. Weichselbaum was a son-in-law to

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

Franz Schneider (1812–1897). ''Weichselbaumgasse'', a thoroughfare in the

Favoriten Favoriten (; Central Bavarian: ''Favoritn''), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 10. Bezirk, Favoriten), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populat ...

district of Vienna is named in his honor.Paragraph based on a translation of 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), ...

Written works

Among his better known writings was ''Grundriss der pathologischen Histologie'' (1892), being later translated into English and published as "The Elements of Pathological Histology". Other noted works by Weichselbaum are the following: * ''Über Entstehung und Bekämpfung der Tuberkulose'', 1896 - On formation and control of tuberculosis. * ''Parasitologie'', in Handbuch der Hygiene, volume 9; Jena, 1899 -

Parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

* ''Epidemiologie'', in Handbuch der Hygiene, volume 9; Jena, 1899 -

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

* ''Diplococcus pneumoniae'', in Handbuch der pathogenen Mikroorganismen, volume 3; Jena, 1903. * ''Meningokokken'', in Handbuch der pathogenen Mikroorganismen, volume 3; Jena, 1903 -

Meningococcus ''Neisseria meningitidis'', often referred to as meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to as a ...

. * ''Pneumokokkenimmunität'', in Handbuch der pathogenen Mikroorganismen, volume 4; Jena, 1904 -

Pneumococcal ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, spherical bacteria, alpha-hemolytic (under aerobic conditions) or beta-hemolytic (under anaerobic conditions), aerotolerant anaerobic member of the genus Streptococcus. They are ...

immunity. * ''Über die Infektionswege der menschlichen Tuberkulose'', 1907 - On the modes of transmission of human tuberculosis. * ''Über die Beziehungen zwischen Körperkonstitution und Krankheit'', 1912 - On the relationship between physical condition and disease.

References

*

biographical information @

AEIOU Encyclopedia Austria-Forum is a freely accessible online collection of reference works in both German language, German and English language, English about Austria-related topics. Background The predecessor of Austria-Forum, the AEIOU project was launched in ...

Austrian pathologists Members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Academics of the University of Vienna Austrian Jews People from Krems-Land District 1845 births 1920 deaths Austrian bacteriologists Austrian histologists {{austria-med-bio-stub