Johann Constantin August Lucae (24 August 1835 – 17 March 1911) 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

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 ...

. He studied medicine in

and

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, and in 1859 earned his doctorate. He furthered his studies in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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), later returning to Berlin, where he worked in Virchow's

pathological 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 ...

institute. In 1871 he became an associate professor, and in 1874 was appointed director of the university policlinic for ear diseases. In 1899 Lucae became a full professor of

otology 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 ...

at the University of Berlin. Lucae made numerous contributions in the field of otology, being remembered for his pioneer studies involving the transmission of sound via

bone conduction Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear primarily through the bones of the skull, allowing the hearer to perceive audio content without blocking the ear canal. Bone conduction transmission occurs constantly as sound waves vibr ...

for diagnosis of ear disease. He is credited with introducing an "interference

otoscope 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 ...

", an apparatus he developed to determine the relative amount of

reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to: Science and technology * Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon ** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface *** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water ** Signal reflection, in s ...

from both ears. His name is associated with several instruments used in otology, including the "Lucae pressure probe", a device which uses vibratory massage for treatment 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 ...

in cases of progressive deafness.

Selected publications

* ''Die Schallleitung durch die Kopfknochen und ihre Bedeutung für die Diagnostik der Ohrenkrankheiten'' (Bone conduction and its importance for diagnosis of ear diseases), Würzburg, 1870. * ''Zur Entstehung und Behandlung der subjectiven Gehörsempfindungen'' (Emergence and treatment of subjective hearing sensations), Berlin, 1884.

References

Zeno.org
translated biography @ Pagel: Biographical Dictionary
"The Ear"
by Charles Henry Burnett; Interference Otoscopy Explained Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin German otolaryngologists Physicians from Berlin 1835 births 1911 deaths {{Germany-med-bio-stub