Ernst Schweninger (15 June 1850 – 13 January 1924) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and
naturopath who developed the Schweninger method, a reduction of obesity by the restriction of fluids in the diet.
Biography
He was born on 15 June 1850 in
Freystadt
:''"Freystadt" is also the German names for Kisielice and Kożuchów, Poland.''
Freystadt (; Northern Bavarian: ''Freystod'') is a town in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria. It is situated near the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, 14 km southwe ...
,
Upper Palatinate
The Upper Palatinate (german: Oberpfalz, , ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany, and is located in the east of Bavaria.
Geography
The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and numerous ponds and lakes ...
. He studied medicine at the
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
where he received his
M.D.
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
in 1870. His appointment to a
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
at
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 ...
in 1884 against the wishes of the medical
faculty was largely due to his successful treatment of
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
for
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
. His method was a modification of the method developed by
William Banting
William Banting (''c.'' December 1796 – 16 March 1878) was a notable English undertaker. Formerly obesity, obese, he is also known for being the first to popularise a weight loss diet based on limiting the intake of carbohydrates, especial ...
. He published ''Dem Andenken Bismarcks'' in 1899. He retired to private life in Munich in 1905. He died there on 13 January 1924.
Schweninger rejected orthodox medicine and embraced
naturopathy
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturop ...
. He established the first nature cure hospital in Berlin. He was considered to have a doubtful reputation and was distrusted by those in the medical community.
[Nordlander NB. (2001)]
''Ernst Schweninger. Physician with a "doubtful reputation", who tamed Bismarck, was distrusted by his colleagues but loved by his patients''
''Läkartidningen'' 98 (21): 2650-2651.
See also
*
Georg Richard Lewin Georg Richard Lewin (19 April 1820 – 1 November 1896) was a German dermatologist, known for his research into syphilis and various skin diseases.
Biography
Lewin was born in Sondershausen in the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (modern ...
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schweninger, Ernst
1850 births
1924 deaths
19th-century German physicians
Naturopaths
People from Neumarkt (district)