Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt (there are several variations regarding the arrangement of his 3 middle names; 5 May 1833 – 22 July 1902) was a German internist born in

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...

Biography

He studied medicine at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

, earning his doctorate in 1856. Subsequently he was an assistant to

Heinrich von Bamberger Heinrich von Bamberger (27 December 1822, Zwornarka, Kingdom of Bohemia – 9 November 1888, Vienna) was an Austrian pathologist. He was father to internist Eugen von Bamberger (1858-1921). Biography In 1847 he earned his doctorate from the Un ...

(1822–1888) and

Franz von Rinecker Franz von Rinecker (3 January 1811 – 21 February 1883) was a German pharmacologist and physician, born in Schesslitz near Bamberg. He studied medicine at Munich and Würzburg, earning his medical degree in 1834. In 1838 he became professor of ...

(1811–1883) in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

, and worked under

Wilhelm Griesinger Wilhelm Griesinger (29 July 1817 – 26 October 1868) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist born in Stuttgart. Life and career He studied under Johann Lukas Schönlein at the University of Zurich and physiologist François Magendie in Pa ...

(1817–1868) in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

. In 1860 he received his habilitation in Würzburg, and during the following year was appointed professor of medicine and head of the department of internal medicine at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

. In 1872 he returned to the University of Würzburg to fulfill similar duties. In 1885 he was successor to

pathologist Pathology is the study of the 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 used in t ...

Friedrich Theodor von Frerichs (1819–1885) at the Charité in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, where he established the second internal medicine clinic. At Berlin, one of his assistants was immunologist

Paul Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich (; 14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel Prize-winning German physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology, and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Among his foremost achievements were finding a cure ...

(1854–1915). He died in Gamburg on 22 July 1902. His son, Dietrich Gerhardt (1866–1921), was also a noted physician.

Contributions

Gerhardt is remembered for his pioneer work in pediatrics, being the editor of an influential

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

on childhood diseases called ''Handbuch der Kinderkrankheiten''. He also performed important research involving auscultation and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, and conducted investigations of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. Gerhardt used

iron chloride Iron chloride may refer to: * Iron(II) chloride Iron(II) chloride, also known as ferrous chloride, is the chemical compound of formula FeCl2. It is a paramagnetic solid with a high melting point. The compound is white, but typical samples are o ...

to detect

acetone Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour. Acetone is miscib ...

in diabetes (Gerhardt's reaction). In 1892 he provided an early description of

erythromelalgia Erythromelalgia or Mitchell's disease (after Silas Weir Mitchell (physician), Silas Weir Mitchell) is a rare vascular peripheral pain disorder in which blood vessels, usually in the lower extremities or hands, are episodically blocked (frequently ...

, a condition once referred to as "Gerhardt’s disease".

Associated eponym

* "Gerhardt’s law" (on vocal paralysis): Which states that in paralysis of the periodically recurring laryngeal nerve, the

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...

assume a position between abduction and

adduction Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

. Position also known as the "cadaver position".

Selected writings

* ''Lehrbuch der Kinderkrankheiten''. Tübingen, 1861. 4 editions. * ''Studien und Beobachtungen über Stimmbandlähmung''. Virchow's Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für klinische Medicin, Berlin, 1863, 27: 68–69, 296–321. * ''Lehrbuch der Auscultation und Percussion''. Tübingen, 1876. * ''Über Erythromelalgie''. Berliner klinische Wochenschrift, 1892; 29: 1125. * ''Handbuch der Kinderkrankheiten'' (multi-volume, 1877–1893). Published by Carl Gerhardt. Tübingen, H. Laupp.Archive.org
Handbuch der Kinderkrankheiten He also contributed numerous articles to the ''Archiv für klinische Medicin''.

Notes

References

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:Gerhardt, Carl German pediatricians 1833 births 1902 deaths Humboldt University of Berlin faculty University of Würzburg alumni People from Speyer University of Jena faculty University of Würzburg faculty People from the Palatinate (region) German internists