Title page of 'Om Spedalskhed' Wellcome L0040718

Daniel Cornelius Danielssen (4 July 1815 – 13 July 1894) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

physician. He was most noted for his research regarding the causes and treatment of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

Biography

Danielssen was from

Bergen, Norway Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

. Dating from 1839, he was associated with St. Jørgens Hospital (''Sankt Jørgens Hospital'') in Bergen. He later worked with

Gerhard Armauer Hansen Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen () (29 July 1841 – 12 February 1912) was a Norwegian physician, remembered for his identification of the bacterium ''Mycobacterium leprae'' in 1873 as the causative agent of leprosy. His distinguished work was ...

, discovering the bacteria causing

, and made Bergen a world centre of lepra research in the middle of the nineteenth century. With

dermatologist Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

Carl Wilhelm Boeck, he was co-author of an acclaimed study on lepra titled ''Om Spedalskhed'' (1847).Daniel Cornelius Danielssen 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 bibliograph ...

In October 1849, he was named head physician of research at Lungegaard Hospital (''Lungegaardshospitalet''). In 1859, German 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 ...

visited Danielssen in Bergen in order to study lepra. In 1876–78 he served as a

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

on a Norwegian expedition to northern waters, and for several years was chairman of the Society for the Advancement of Norwegian Fisheries (''Selskabet for de norske Fiskeriers Fremme''). Also, for a number of years, Danielssen was a representative of Bergen to the

Stortinget The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

, 1862–64, 1871–73 and 1875–76. Danielssen was a 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 ...

from 1877. The characteristic anesthesia of the extremity affected by untreated

Leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

is sometimes called as the "Danielssen's Sign" in his honor.''Danielssen’s Sign'' Our Dermatol Online. 2011; 2(3): 158-170

References

External links

*
Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen (1841-1912)
@ Bergen Guide, Bergen Norway

Biography

See also

References

External links

Further reading