Friedrich Sigmund Merkel (5 April 1845 – 28 May 1919) was a leading German

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

and

histopathologist Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ''histos'' "tissue", πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", and -λογία ''-logia'' "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Spe ...

of the late 19th century. In 1875, he provided the first full description of ''Tastzellen'' (touch cells) which occur in the skin of all vertebrates. They were subsequently given the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

Merkel cell Merkel cells, also known as Merkel-Ranvier cells or tactile epithelial cells, are oval-shaped mechanoreceptors essential for light touch sensation and found in the skin of vertebrates. They are abundant in highly sensitive skin like that of the f ...

s" in 1878 by Robert Bonnet (1851–1921). Merkel was a native of

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...

. In 1869 he earned his medical doctorate from the

University of Erlangen 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 ...

, becoming habilitated in the field of

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

during the following year. He was a professor at the Universities of

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...

(from 1872),

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

(from 1883),

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

(from 1885), and

(from 1872). At Göttingen, he worked under Jacob Henle and married Henle's daughter Anne. He published a multivolume textbook on human anatomy and originated the color scheme used by most anatomy texts today: red for arteries, blue for veins, and yellow for nerves. He introduced

xylene In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are sub ...

as a clearing agent in

histology 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 ...

, and it is still used today Two of his better known assistants were

Dietrich Barfurth Karl Dietrich Gerhard Barfurth (25 January 1849 – 23 March 1927) was a German anatomist and embryologist born in Dinslaken. He studied mathematics and sciences at the University of Göttingen, and medicine (1879–1882) at the University of B ...

(1849-1927) and Hermann Kuhnt (1850-1925). The term "Merkel's spur" is synonymous with the femoral calcar.

Selected publications

* ''Makroskopische Anatomie des Auges und seiner Umgebungen''; In Handbuch der Augenheilkunde;

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 ...

, 1874; second edition with Erich Kallius (1867-1935) in 1901 - Macroscopic anatomy of the eye and its environment. * ''Das Mikroskop und seine Anwendung'', 1875 - The microscope and its application. * ''Über die Endigungen der sensiblen Nerven in der Haut der Wirbeltiere'',

, 1880 - On sensory nerve terminations in the skin of vertebrates. * ''Handbuch der topographischen Anatomie'' 1885 to 1907 - Manual of topographical anatomy. * ''Ergebnisse der Anatomie und Entwickelungsgeschichte''; from 1892, one annual volume, published with Robert Bonnet (1851-1921) - Anatomical results and developmental history. * ''Menschliche Embryonen verschiedenen Alters auf Medianschnitten untersucht'', 1894. * ''Die Anatomie des Menschen. Mit Hinweisen auf die ärztliche Praxis'', (11 volumes) 1913 to 1918 -

Human anatomy The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a he ...

, with reference to the practice of medicine.Friedrich Sigmund Merkel - bibliography
@

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 ...

References

External links

''Friedrich Sigmund Merkel''
@

1845 births 1919 deaths German anatomists German pathologists University of Rostock faculty University of Göttingen faculty University of Königsberg faculty Physicians from Nuremberg People from the Kingdom of Bavaria {{Germany-scientist-stub