Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig (; 29 December 1816 – 23 April 1895) was a German physician and
physiologist
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...
. His work as both a researcher and teacher had a major influence on the understanding, methods and apparatus used in almost all branches of physiology.
In 1842, Ludwig became a professor of physiology and in 1846 of
comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species).
The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...
. From professorships in
Zurich and
Vienna
en, Viennese
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he went in 1865 to the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
and developed there the Physiological Institute, designated today after him:
Carl Ludwig Institute of Physiology.
[Current website of the Carl-Ludwig-Institute of Physiology http://cliphys.uniklinikum-leipzig.de/] Ludwig researched several topics such as the physiology of
blood pressure
Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...
,
urinary excretion, and
anesthesia
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...
. He received the
Copley Medal
The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society, for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science". It alternates between the physical sciences or mathematics and the biological sciences. Given every year, the medal is t ...
in 1884 for his research. In 1869, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
. He is credited for inventing the
stromuhr.
Since 1932, the Carl Ludwig Honorary Medal is awarded by the German Society for Cardiology to outstanding investigators in the area of cardiovascular research.
Life
Ludwig was born at
Witzenhausen
Witzenhausen is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany.
It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974, it was a district seat.
The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen at which i ...
, near
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
, and studied medicine at
Erlangen
Erlangen (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Erlang'', Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Erlanga'') is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative d ...
and
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
, taking his doctor's degree at Marburg in 1839. He made Marburg his home for the next ten years, studying and teaching anatomy and physiology, first as prosector to
FL Fick (1841), then as
privat-docent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
(1842), and finally as extraordinary professor (1846). In 1849 he was chosen professor of anatomy and physiology at
Zurich, and 6 years afterwards he went to
Vienna
en, Viennese
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as professor in the
Josephinum school for military surgeons.
In 1865 Ludwig was appointed to the newly created chair of physiology at
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, and continued there until his death on 23 April 1895.
Appraisal
![Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig 1856](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Carl_Friedrich_Wilhelm_Ludwig_1856.jpg)
Ludwig's name is prominent in the history of physiology, and he had a large share in bringing about the change in the method of that science that took place in the middle of the 19th century. With his friends
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The Helmholtz Association, ...
,
Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke
Ernst Wilhelm Ritter von Brücke (6 July 1819 – 7 January 1892) was a German physician and physiologist. He is credited with contributions made in many facets of physiology.
Biography
He was born Ernst Wilhelm Brücke in Berlin. He graduate ...
, and
Emil du Bois-Reymond
Emil Heinrich du Bois-Reymond (7 November 181826 December 1896) was a German physician and physiologist, the co-discoverer of nerve action potential, and the developer of experimental electrophysiology.
Life
Du Bois-Reymond was born in Berlin a ...
, whom he met for the first time in Berlin in 1847, he rejected the assumption that the phenomena of living animals depend on special biological laws and vital forces different from those that operate in the domain of inorganic nature; and he sought to explain them by reference to the same laws as are applicable in the case of physical and chemical phenomena.
This point of view was expressed in Ludwig's celebrated ''Text-book of Human Physiology'' (1852–1856), but it is as evident in his earliest paper (1842) on the process of urinary secretion as in all his subsequent work. Ludwig exercised enormous influence on the progress of physiology, not only by the discoveries he made, but also by the new methods and apparatus he introduced to its service. Thus, in regard to secretion, he showed that secretory glands, such as the
submaxillary
The paired submandibular glands (historically known as submaxillary glands) are major salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. They each weigh about 15 grams and contribute some 60–67% of unstimulated saliva secretion; on stimula ...
, are more than mere filters, and that their secretory action is attended by chemical and thermal changes both in themselves and in the blood passing through them.
Ludwig demonstrated the existence of a new class of secretory
nerve
A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system.
A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...
s that control this action, and by showing that if the nerves are appropriately stimulated the salivary glands continue to secrete, even though the animal be decapitated, he initiated the method of experimenting with excised organs. He devised the
kymograph
A kymograph (from Greek κῦμα, swell or wave + γραφή, writing; also called a kymographion) is an analog device that draws a graphical representation of spatial position over time in which a spatial axis represents time. It basically consi ...
as a means of obtaining a written record of the variations in the pressure of the blood in the
blood vessel
The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away ...
s; and this apparatus not only conducted him to many important conclusions respecting the mechanics of the circulation, but afforded the first instance of the use of the graphic method in physiological inquiries. For researches on blood gases, he designed the mercurial blood-pump that, with various modifications, has come into extensive use. He used it for many investigations into gases of the
lymph
Lymph (from Latin, , meaning "water") is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels (channels) and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues to ...
, the gaseous interchanges in living muscle, the significance of oxidized material in the blood, etc.
There is indeed scarcely any branch of physiology, except the physiology of the senses, to which Ludwig did not make important contributions. He was also a great power as a teacher and the founder of a school. Under him the Physiological Institute at Leipzig became an organized center of physiological research, whence issued a steady stream of original work; and though the papers containing the results usually bore the name of his pupils only, every investigation was inspired by him and carried out under his personal direction. Thus, his pupils gained a practical acquaintance with his methods and ways of thought, and, coming from all parts of Europe, they returned to their own countries to spread and extend his doctrines. Possessed himself of extraordinary manipulative skill, he abhorred rough and clumsy work, and he insisted that experiments on animals should be planned and prepared with the utmost care, not only to avoid the infliction of pain (which was also guarded against by the use of an anesthetic), but to ensure that the deductions drawn from them should have their full scientific value.
Notes
References
;Attribution
*
Further reading
* Luderitz B.: ''Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig (1816–1895).'' – ''Source Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology'' 2004 Dec;11(3):221-2.
* Zimmer HG.: The contributions of Carl Ludwig to cardiology. ''Can. J. Cardiol.'' 1999 Mar;15(3):323-9.
*
Davis JM, Thurau K, Haberle D.: ''Carl Ludwig: the discoverer of glomerular filtration.'' – ''Nephrol. Dial. Transplant.'' 1996 Apr;11(4):717-20.
* Schubert E.: The theory of and experimentation into respiratory gas exchange—Carl Ludwig and his school. ''
Pflügers Archiv (Pflügers Arch.)'' 1996;432(3 Suppl):R111-9.
* Seller H.: Carl Ludwig and the localization of the medullary vasomotor center: old and new concepts of the generation of sympathetic tone. ''Pflügers Arch.'' 1996;432(3 Suppl):R94-8.
* Thurau K, Davis JM, Haberle DA.: Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig: the founder of modern renal physiology. ''Pflügers Arch.'' 1996;432(3 Suppl):R68-72.
* Schröer H.: Relevance and reliability of Ludwig's scientific conceptions of the physiology of the microcirculation. ''Pflügers Arch.'' 1996;432(3 Suppl):R23-32.
* Zimmer HG.: Carl Ludwig: the man, his time, his influence. ''Pflügers Arch.'' 1996;432(3 Suppl):R9-22.
* Ludwig CF.: 1842—a landmark in nephrology: Carl Ludwig's revolutionary concept of renal function. ''Kidney Int(ernational). Suppl.'' 1994 Oct;46:1–23.
*
Fye WB.: Carl Ludwig. ''Clin. Cardiol.'' 1991 Apr;14(4):361-3.
* Fye WB.: Carl Ludwig and the Leipzig Physiological Institute: 'a factory of new knowledge'. ''Circulation.'' 1986 Nov;74(5):920-8.
External links
Short biography and bibliographyin the
Virtual Laboratory The online project Virtual Laboratory. Essays and Resources on the Experimentalization of Life, 1830-1930, located at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, is dedicated to research in the history of the experimentalization of life. T ...
of the
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte) is a scientific research institute founded in March 1994. It is dedicated to addressing fundamental questions of the history of knowledg ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludwig, Carl Friedrich Wilhelm
1816 births
1895 deaths
Swiss physiologists
German physiologists
Recipients of the Copley Medal
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
People from Witzenhausen
People from the Electorate of Hesse
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences