Jacob Fidelis Ackermann (23 April 1765 – 28 October 1815) was a German professor 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 it ...
and
surgery.
Ackermann was born in
Rüdesheim am Rhein
Rüdesheim am Rhein is a German winemaking town in the Rhine Gorge, and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in this region. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt, Hessen. Known as Rüdesheim, i ...
. He began his studies at
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg ...
and earned his doctorate in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...
in 1787. After extensive research travel he was promoted to private lecturer for
forensic medicine in 1789. He acquired the regular professorship in
botanics
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and later in anatomy when
Samuel Thomas von Sömmering resigned his office.
In 1798 the university was dissolved. Ackermann became president and first professor of a newly founded special school of medicine. In 1804 he accepted a call as professor of anatomy and chirurgy at
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...
, succeeding
Justus Christian Loder. In the following year, he became professor of anatomy and
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
at
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
.
In Heidelberg, Ackermann made himself a name as founder and developer of different institutes such as the ''Anatomical Theatre'' and the polyclinic.
At the end of the summer semester of 1815, Ackermann traveled to his small manor in the surroundings of Rüdesheim, as was his wont. There he fell ill with
nephritis and died soon after.
Ackermann was described by his contemporaries as a very literate person, but also as a very corpulent one. Although he weighed 300 pounds (136 kg), he was said to be able to hop long distances on one leg while whistling cheerfully.
Apart from his publications, the city of Heidelberg conserves a special rarity from the hands of Jacob Ackermann: the dissected skeleton of rogue chieftain ''
Schinderhannes
Johannes Bückler (c.1778 – 21 November 1803) was a German outlaw who orchestrated one of the most famous crime sprees in German history. He has been nicknamed Schinderhannes and Schinnerhannes in German and John the Scorcher, John the Flaye ...
'', well known through the novels of
Carl Zuckmayer
Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer.
Life and career
Born in Nackenheim in Rhenish Hesse, he was ...
.
Publications
* ''Über die Kreuzung der Sehnerven'', Blumbach's medical bibliography, 1788, III. 307. 706.
* ''Gustus organi novissime detecti prodromus'', Mainz, 1790
* ''Über den Cretinismus'', Gotha, 1790
* ''Darstellung der Lebenskräfte'', 2 volumes, Frankfurt am Main, 1797, 1800
* ''Über die Erleichterung schwerer Geburten'', Jena, 1804
* ''Kritik an der Gall'schen Schädel- und Organlehre'', Heidelberg, 1806
* ''De febribus epitome'', Heidelberg, 1809
* ''Über die Natur des Gewächses'', 1812
* ''Commentarii de nervei systematis primordiis'', Mannheim, 1813
Sources
* ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' �
online version
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackermann, Jacob Fidelis
1765 births
1815 deaths
People from Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
German anatomists
Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
University of Würzburg alumni
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz alumni
Academic staff of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Academic staff of the University of Jena
Academic staff of Heidelberg University
Deaths from nephritis