Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden (7 June 1824 – 13 June 1886) was a German

neuroanatomist Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defi ...

and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

born in

Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...

Career

In 1848, von Gudden earned his doctorate from the

University of Halle Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...

and became an intern at the asylum in

Siegburg Siegburg (i.e. '' fort on the Sieg river''; Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg and Agger, 10 kilometres from the former seat ...

under

Carl Wigand Maximilian Jacobi Carl Wigand Maximilian Jacobi (10 April 1775 – 18 May 1858) was a German psychiatrist. Biography He was born in Düsseldorf, the son of philosopher Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi. He attended the universities of Jena, Göttingen, Erfurt, and Edinburg ...

(1775–1858). From 1851 to 1855 he worked as a psychiatrist under Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Roller (1802–1878) in the mental asylum at Illenau in

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...

, then from 1855 to 1869, served as director of the mental institution (''Unterfränkische Landes-Irrenanstalt'') in

Werneck Werneck is a market town in the district of Schweinfurt in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 10,000 and is best known for its Baroque palace, Schloss Werneck. Geography Location Werneck lies in the Lower Franco ...

. In 1869 he was appointed director of the

Burghölzli The ''Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich'' (Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich) is a psychiatric hospital in Switzerland. As a research hospital, it is associated with the University of Zürich. It is also called Burghölzli, after ...

Hospital, as well as professor of psychiatry at the

University of Zürich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

. In 1872 he was appointed ''Obermedicinalrath'' and director of the Upper Bavarian Kreis-Irrenanstalt (district mental asylum), located in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

. Shortly afterwards, he became a professor of psychiatry 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 sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...

. Gudden made many contributions in the field of

neuroanatomy Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defi ...

, especially in his work of mapping and describing the paths, connections, origins/termini and neuroanatomical centers of

cranial Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

and

optic nerve In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve is derived fro ...

networks. The commissural fibers of the

optic tract In neuroanatomy, the optic tract () is a part of the visual system in the brain. It is a continuation of the optic nerve that relays information from the optic chiasm to the ipsilateral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), pretectal nuclei, and su ...

are called the

commissure of Gudden The ventral supraoptic decussation is the crossover (decussation) point for signals from the left and right eye, en route respectively to the right and left sides of the visual cortex. Occupying the posterior part of the commissure of the optic ch ...

in his honor, and he is credited for developing a specialized

microtome A microtome (from the Greek ''mikros'', meaning "small", and ''temnein'', meaning "to cut") is a cutting tool used to produce extremely thin slices of material known as ''sections''. Important in science, microtomes are used in microscopy, all ...

for sectioning the

brain A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...

for pathological study. Among his well-known students and assistants are

Emil Kraepelin Emil Wilhelm Georg Magnus Kraepelin (; ; 15 February 1856 – 7 October 1926) was a German psychiatrist. H. J. Eysenck's ''Encyclopedia of Psychology'' identifies him as the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, psychopharmacology and psych ...

(1856–1926),

Franz Nissl Franz Alexander Nissl (9 September 1860, in Frankenthal – 11 August 1919, in Munich) was a German psychiatrist and medical researcher. He was a noted neuropathologist. Early life Nissl was born in Frankenthal to Theodor Nissl and Maria Haas. ...

(1860–1919),

Auguste-Henri Forel Auguste-Henri Forel (1 September 1848 – 27 July 1931) was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. For example, he is considered a ...

(1848–1931),

Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser (24 January 1853, Rhaunen, Rhine Province – 4 January 1931, Dresden, Saxony) was a German psychiatrist born in Rhaunen. He earned his medical doctorate in 1876 from the University of Munich. Afterwards he worke ...

(1853–1931) and

Oskar Panizza Leopold Hermann Oskar Panizza (12 November 1853 – 28 September 1921) was a German psychiatrist and avant-garde author, playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, publisher and literary journal editor. He is best known for his provocative tragicomedy ...

(1853–1921). As director of mental institutions, Gudden advocated a no-restraint policy, humane treatment of the mentally ill, communal social interaction amongst patients, and a well-trained medical staff. These were considered innovative, if not revolutionary ideas concerning mental health treatment in the mid-19th century. Gudden was a respected psychiatrist in Germany and was appointed personal physician to King

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

Death and legacy

On June 13, 1886, Ludwig and Gudden were both found dead in the water near the shore of

Lake Starnberg Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm, or ''Würmsee'' , until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three different Ba ...

at 11:30 p.m., allegedly drowned, possibly murdered. To this day the details of their deaths remain a mystery. After Gudden's death, his works were collected and edited by his son-in-law,

Hubert von Grashey Hubert von Grashey (30 October 1839 – 24 August 1914) was a German psychiatrist born in Grönenbach. He was son-in-law to psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden (1824–1886). He studied medicine at the Universities of Würzburg, Vienna and Berlin, ...

(1839–1914), being published in 1889 with the title "''Bernhard von Gudden’s gesammelte und hinterlassene Abhandlungen''".

Selected writings

* ''Beiträge zur Lehre von den Scabies'' (second edition in 1863) - Contributions to the theory of

scabies Scabies (; also sometimes known as the seven-year itch) is a contagious skin infestation by the mite ''Sarcoptes scabiei''. The most common symptoms are severe itchiness and a pimple-like rash. Occasionally, tiny burrows may appear on the ski ...

* ''Experimentaluntersuchungen über das peripherische und centrale Nervensystem''. Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, Berlin, 1870; 2: 693-723. - Experimental studies of the

peripheral A peripheral or peripheral device is an auxiliary device used to put information into and get information out of a computer. The term ''peripheral device'' refers to all hardware components that are attached to a computer and are controlled by the ...

and

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

. * ''Ueber die Kreuzung der Fasern in Chiasma nervorum optici''. in

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 ...

's Archiv für Ophthalmologie, Berlin, 1874, 2 Abth., 20: 249-268; in Albrecht von Graefe's Archiv für Ophthalmologie, Berlin, 1879, 1 Abth., 25, 1-56. * ''Experimentelle Untersuchungen über das Schädelwachstum'' (1874) - Experimental studies on the growth of the skull.

Associated eponyms

* "Gudden's inferior commissure" (

): Commissural fibers of the

, situated above and behind the

optic chiasm In neuroanatomy, the optic chiasm, or optic chiasma (; , ), is the part of the brain where the optic nerves cross. It is located at the bottom of the brain immediately inferior to the hypothalamus. The optic chiasm is found in all vertebrat ...

. * "Gudden's tract": The transverse peduncular tract. * "Gudden-Wanner sign": Shortening of

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 vibra ...

time of a

tuning fork A tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the prongs ( tines) formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal (usually steel). It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it agains ...

over bony cranial scars.Eminent Neuroscientists Their Lives and Works
by Kalyan B Bhattacharyya Named in conjunction with otologist Friedrich Wanner (1870-1944). * " Mammillo-tegmental bundle of Gudden": Also known as the fasciculus mammillo-tegmentalis. * The dorsal and ventral tegmental nuclei of the pontine tegmentum, first described by von Gudden in the rabbit, are sometimes referred to as the "dorsal/ventral nuclei of Gudden".

References

Johann Bernhard Aloys von Gudden, 1824–1886; Images in Psychiatry / American Journal of Psychiatry
(biography)

@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gudden, Bernhard Von 1824 births 1886 deaths People from Kleve People associated with the University of Zurich Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich faculty German psychiatrists University of Halle alumni History of psychiatry Burials at the Ostfriedhof (Munich)