Carl Arnold Ruge (24 September 1846 – 15 April 1926) was a German

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 ...

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 is credited for contributions made in the early detection of

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uteru ...

. Ruge was a nephew of pathologist

Rudolf 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 ...

(1821-1902). For a number of years he served as director of the laboratory for microscopic and clinical research in the ''Frauenklinik'' at the

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine) is one of Europe's largest university hospitals, affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. With numerous Collaborative Research Cen ...

-Berlin. In Berlin he worked closely with

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...

Karl Ludwig Ernst Schroeder Karl Ludwig Ernst Friedrich Schroeder (11 September 1838, Neustrelitz – 7 February 1887, Berlin) was a German gynecologist . He studied medicine at the Universities of Würzburg and Rostock. He earned his doctorate in 1864, subsequently serving ...

(1838-1887). From 1882 to 1912 he was director of the

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 for gynecology at the university ''Frauenklinik''. In 1896 he was appointed professor. Ruge pioneered microscopic diagnostics in the field of

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

. With his associate

Johann Veit Johann Veit (17 June 1852, Berlin – 2 June 1917 near Schierke) was a German gynecologist. He was the son of obstetrician and gynecologist Gustav Veit (1824-1903). In 1874 he earned his medical degree at Humboldt University in Berlin, and in 187 ...

(1852–1917), he is credited with establishing the groundwork for contemporary gynecological pathology and

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 ...

. In the 1870s the two men introduced the

surgical Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a diseas ...

as a necessary diagnostics tool. From their biopsies, they demonstrated that there were too many cases of unnecessary surgeries for

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

, proving that physicians were often incapable of detecting

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

without the aid of a biopsy. Ruge is also credited with having first defined

varicose veins Varicose veins, also known as varicoses, are a medical condition in which superficial veins become enlarged and twisted. These veins typically develop in the legs, just under the skin. Varicose veins usually cause few symptoms. However, some indi ...

as "any dilated, elongated and tortuous vein irrespective of size".

References

* "This article is 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), ...

".
Advanced Health Plan; Biopsies
1846 births 1926 deaths German gynaecologists German pathologists Physicians of the Charité Physicians from the Province of Brandenburg Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Prussian physicians {{Germany-med-bio-stub