Hermann Johannes Pfannenstiel (28 June 1862 – 3 July 1909) was a German

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ...

born 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 ...

. In 1885 he received his doctorate in

and afterwards worked as a hospital assistant in Posen. He later moved to Breslau, where in 1896 he became an associate professor. In 1902 he was appointed chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von ...

, and five years later, he attained a similar position at the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...

. From 1891 he was secretary of the German Society for Gynaecology (''Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gynäkologie''). Beginning in 1896, he was co-editor of the journal ''Archiv für Gynäkologie'' (Archives of Gynaecology). Among his better known publications were works on

ovarian The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body ...

pathology 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 ...

uterine The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...

tumors and the formation of carcinomas following

ovariotomy Oophorectomy (; from Greek , , 'egg-bearing' and , , 'a cutting out of'), historically also called ''ovariotomy'' is the surgical removal of an ovary or ovaries. The surgery is also called ovariectomy, but this term is mostly used in reference t ...

. In 1908 he was the first physician to give a comprehensive description of familial icterus gravis neonatorum. Pfannenstiel is best remembered for the eponymous

Pfannenstiel incision A Pfannenstiel incision , Kerr incision, Pfannenstiel-Kerr incision or pubic incision is a type of abdominal surgical incision that allows access to the abdomen. It is used for gynecologic and orthopedics surgeries, and it is the most common me ...

, a transverse incision used in genitourinary surgery that is still widely used today. He published his paper in 1900 when he described 51 cases. His intent was to decrease the risk of an incisional

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin herni ...

; results also proved to be cosmetically better.Powell JL. Powell's Pearls: Pfannenstiel and Torpin. ACOG Clinical Review (2008) 13:4:12–13 ISSN 1085-6862 On 3 July 1909 at the age of 47, Pfannenstiel died from

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

after having injured his finger during surgery for a

tubo-ovarian abscess A tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) is one of the late complications of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and can be life-threatening if the abscess ruptures and results in sepsis. It consists of an encapsulated or confined pocket of pus with defined ...

. He was the father of Wilhelm Pfannenstiel. Pfannenstiel married Elisabeth Behlendorff in 1889.

References

External links

Diagram of Pfannenstiel's incision
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfannenstiel, Hermann Johannes 1862 births 1909 deaths University of Kiel faculty University of Giessen faculty German gynaecologists Physicians from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg