Friedrich Trendelenburg (; 24 May 184415 December 1924) was a German

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. He was son of the

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Friedrich Adolf Trendelenburg, father of the pharmacologist

Paul Trendelenburg Paul Trendelenburg (24 March 1884, Bonn – 4 February 1931, Berlin) was a German pharmacologist. He studied medicine at the universities of Grenoble, Leipzig and Freiburg, where from 1909 to 1918, he worked as an assistant in the pharmacological ...

and grandfather of the pharmacologist Ullrich Georg Trendelenburg. Trendelenburg was born in

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 ...

and studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He completed his studies at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin under

Bernhard von Langenbeck Bernhard Rudolf Konrad von Langenbeck (9 November 181029 September 1887) was a German surgeon known as the developer of Langenbeck's amputation and founder of ''Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery''. Life He was born at Padingbüttel, and recei ...

, receiving his doctorate in 1866. He practiced medicine at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock (german: link=no, Universität Rostock) is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continen ...

and the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

. In 1895 he became surgeon-in-chief at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

. Trendelenburg was interested in the history of surgery. He founded the German Surgical Society in 1872. Trendelenburg was also interested in the surgical removal of

pulmonary emboli Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathing ...

. His student

Martin Kirschner Martin Kirschner (28 October 1879 – 30 August 1942) was a German surgeon. Kirschner was born in Breslau, the son of Margarethe Kalbeck (sister of Max Kalbeck) and Judge Martin Kirschner (1842–1912), who later served as city councillor ( ...

performed the first successful

pulmonary embolectomy A pulmonary thrombectomy is an emergency surgical procedure used to remove blood clots from the pulmonary arteries. Mechanical thrombectomies can be surgical (surgical thrombectomy) or percutaneous (percutaneous thrombectomy). Surgical thrombecto ...

in 1924, shortly before Trendelenburg's death. He died in 1924 of cancer of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

, aged 80.

Named after Friedrich Trendelenburg

A number of medical treatments and terminologies have been named after Friedrich Trendelenburg, including: *

Brodie–Trendelenburg percussion test The Brodie–Trendelenburg percussion test is a medical test to determine valvular incompetence in superficial veins. A finger is placed over the lower (distal) part of the vein being examined. The upper (proximal) part of the vein is then tapped ...

(also accredited to Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie) is a test for incompetent valves in

superficial vein Superficial veins are veins that are close to the surface of the body, as opposed to deep veins, which are far from the surface. Superficial veins are not paired with an artery, unlike the deep veins, which are typically associated with an arte ...

s. * Trendelenburg's cannula: a

cannula A cannula (; Latin meaning 'little reed'; plural or ) is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of samples. In simple terms, a cannula can surround the inner or outer surfaces ...

used during surgery of the

larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...

to prevent the patient from swallowing blood during surgery involving the head and neck. * Trendelenburg gait: an abnormal

gait Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to maneuver, and energetic efficiency. Di ...

caused by weakness of the

abductor muscles 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 relative ...

of the

lower limb The human leg, in the general word sense, is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or gluteal region. However, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb ext ...

, including the gluteus medius muscle and gluteus minimus muscle. * Trendelenburg operation: ligation of the

great saphenous vein The great saphenous vein (GSV, alternately "long saphenous vein"; ) is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thig ...

, for the treatment of varicose veins. This term may also apply to

pulmonary thrombectomy A pulmonary thrombectomy is an emergency surgical procedure used to remove blood clots from the pulmonary arteries. Mechanical thrombectomies can be surgical (surgical thrombectomy) or percutaneous (percutaneous thrombectomy). Surgical thrombect ...

. * Trendelenburg position, in which the patient is placed on a bed which is put into incline such that the patient's head is lower than his feet. *

Trendelenburg's sign Trendelenburg's sign is found in people with weak or paralyzed abductor muscles of the hip, namely gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. It is named after the German surgeon Friedrich Trendelenburg. It is often incorrectly referenced as the Tren ...

: a sign of congenital dislocation of the hip. * Trendelenburg's test: a test for varicose veins as well as a test to assess hip mobility.

References

Who Named It: Friedrich Trendelenburg

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trendelenburg, Friedrich 1844 births 1924 deaths German surgeons Physicians from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academic staff of the University of Rostock Academic staff of the University of Bonn Academic staff of Leipzig University Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Deaths from cancer in Germany

Named after Friedrich Trendelenburg

See also

References