Holger Werfel Scheuermann (12 February 1877 – 3 March 1960) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

surgeon after whom

Scheuermann's disease Scheuermann's disease is a Self-limiting (biology), self-limiting skeleton, skeletal disorder of childhood. Scheuermann's disease describes a condition where the vertebrae grow unevenly with respect to the sagittal plane; that is, the Posterior ( ...

is named.

Biography

Holger Werfel Scheuermann was born into a medical family in

Hørsholm Hørsholm () is an urban area on the Øresund coast approximately north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers most of Hørsholm Municipality and straddles the borders neighbouring Fredensborg Municipality and Rudersdal Municipality. Hørsholm prop ...

, a small town between

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...

. He began his studies in 1895 and graduated in medicine at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

in 1902. He then spent his hospital service in Copenhagen at Det Kgl. Frederiks Hospital, at Sankt Johannesstiftelsen, as well as

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

. At Rigshospitalet he was assistant at the departments of

roentgenology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

and

massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In E ...

. Scheuermann trained in

orthopaedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

and

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

, becoming a specialist in orthopaedics and radiology in 1918. From 1910 to 1919 he was 1st assistant surgeon at the Copenhagen Home for the Crippled and then became director of radiology at the

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and

Sundby Hospital Sundby may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places Denmark * Sundby, Copenhagen, a district in Copenhagen * Sundby, Lolland, a satellite town of Nykøbing Falster on Lolland * Nørresundby, a town on North Jutlandic Island Sweden * Sundby, Sweden, a locality ...

s, and head physician to the navy. He undertook several study travels to Germany, Austria and Sweden, and was chairman of the Danske Røntgenologers Forening 1920–1922, and of

Dansk Radiologisk Selskab Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

1933–1934. He also became a corresponding member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1936, the same year he was made a knight of the

order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

. Dannebrog is the name of the Danish flag. After his retirement in 1947 he continued in private radiological practice for many years. In 1959 he received his doctoral degree, honoris causa, from the University of Copenhagen, nearly 40 years after his original submission. Scheuermann died in 1960 in Copenhagen.

References

External links

* https://archive.today/20121224023343/http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/43-B/2/394 1877 births 1960 deaths People from Hørsholm Municipality Danish surgeons 20th-century Danish physicians 20th-century surgeons {{Denmark-med-bio-stub