Georg Eduard von Rindfleisch (15 December 1836 – 6 December 1908) was a German

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 ...

and

histologist 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 ...

. He was born in Köthen and died 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 ...

Academic career

He studied medicine 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 ...

and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, earning his doctorate in 1859. After obtaining his degree, he served as an assistant to

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 ...

, then in 1862 received his habilitation at the

University of Breslau A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. In 1864 he became an associate professor of pathology at the

University of Zurich 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 ...

, and during the following year, attained a full professorship at

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

. In 1874 he acquired the chair of pathology 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 ...

. He was one of the first proposers of a vascular theory for multiple sclerosis after noticing in 1863 that the inflammation-associated lesions were distributed around veins. This work was the ground layer for the later Tracy Putnam work in the vascular theory of MS. Also, he made noteworthy contributions in his pioneer research of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. He was one of the leading advocates of scientific " neo-vitalism".Institut für Pathologie der Universität Würzburg
(biography)

Associated eponyms

* "Rindfleisch's folds": Semilunar folds of the

serous In physiology, serous fluid or serosal fluid (originating from the Medieval Latin word ''serosus'', from Latin ''serum'') is any of various body fluids resembling serum, that are typically pale yellow or transparent and of a benign nature. The flu ...

surface of the

pericardium The pericardium, also called pericardial sac, is a double-walled sac containing the heart and the roots of the great vessels. It has two layers, an outer layer made of strong connective tissue (fibrous pericardium), and an inner layer made o ...

around the beginning of the

aorta The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes o ...

. Also known as the ascending aortic fold. * "Rindfleisch's cells": Historical name for

eosinophilic Eosinophilic (Greek suffix -phil-, meaning ''loves eosin'') is the staining of tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye. Eosin is an acidic dye for staining cell cytoplasm, collagen, and muscle fibers. ''E ...

leukocytes.

Selected writings

* ''Lehrbuch der patologischen Gewebelehre''. Engelmann, Leipzig 1867. (Textbook of pathologic histology). * ''Die Elemente der Pathologie: ein natürlicher Grundriss der wissenschaftlichen Medicin''. Engelmann, Leipzig 1883. (Elements of pathology: an outline of natural scientific medicine). * ''Ärztliche Philosophie: Festrede zur Feier des 306''. Stiftungstages der Königlichen Julius-Maximilians-Universität. Hertz, Würzburg 1888.

Notes

References

* List of publications copied from an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia.''
Mondofacto Dictionary
definition of eponyms 1836 births 1908 deaths German pathologists German histologists Academic staff of the University of Würzburg Academic staff of the University of Bonn Academic staff of the University of Zurich Vitalists {{Germany-med-bio-stub