Martin Benno Schmidt (23 August 1863 – 27 November 1949) was a German

pathologist 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 t ...

born in

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 ...

. He spent several years as an assistant at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

, where he worked under

Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (; December 2, 1833 – August 26, 1910) was a German pathologist born in Gütersloh, Westphalia. He was the father of physiologist Heinrich von Recklinghausen (1867–1942). Early life Recklinghausen was bo ...

(1833-1910). In 1906 he became a professor of pathology at the medical academy in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

, and afterwards worked as a pathologist in Zurich and

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approxima ...

. In 1913 he succeeded

Richard Kretz Richard Kretz (12 May 1865 – 13 May 1920) was an Austrian pathologist born in Bruck an der Mur, Styria. He is remembered for pathological research involving regenerative and degenerative processes that take place in liver cirrhosis. Kretz ea ...

(1865-1920) as professor of pathology at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

, a position he maintained until his retirement in 1934. Schmidt specialized in pathological investigations of bone disorders such as

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...

osteogenesis imperfecta Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may b ...

, and

osteomalacia Osteomalacia is a disease characterized by the softening of the bones caused by impaired bone metabolism primarily due to inadequate levels of available phosphate, calcium, and vitamin D, or because of resorption of calcium. The impairment of bon ...

. He is remembered for his description of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, type II, a disease characterized by

autoimmune In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease". ...

activity against more than one

endocrine gland Endocrine glands are ductless glands of the endocrine system that secrete their products, hormones, directly into the blood. The major glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, pituitary gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, ...

. This condition is sometimes referred to as "Schmidt's syndrome". He also performed important studies involving

iron metabolism Human iron metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that maintain human homeostasis of iron at the systemic and cellular level. Iron is both necessary to the body and potentially toxic. Controlling iron levels in the body is a critically impo ...

Published works

With pathologist

Ludwig Aschoff Karl Albert Ludwig Aschoff (10 January 1866 – 24 June 1942) was a German physician and pathologist. He is considered to be one of the most influential pathologists of the early 20th century and is regarded as the most important German patholog ...

(1866-1942), he published a treatise on

pyelonephritis Pyelonephritis is inflammation of the kidney, typically due to a bacterial infection. Symptoms most often include fever and flank tenderness. Other symptoms may include nausea, burning with urination, and frequent urination. Complications may ...

called ''Die Pyelonephritis in anatomischer und bakteriologischer Beziehung''. Other noted works by Schmidt include: * ''Ueber Typhus abdominalis'', 1907 – About abdominal

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

. * ''Die anatomischen Grundlagen der Immunität und Disposition bei Infektionskrankheiten'', 1908 – The anatomical basis of immunity and disposition for

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...

s. * ''Der einfluss Eisenarmer und eisenreicher Nahrung auf Blut und Körper'', 1928 – The influence of iron-low and iron-rich food for blood and body.Google Search
(publications)

References

Institut für Pathologie der Universität Würzburg
Martin Benno Schmidt, CEO of 1913–1934, biography German pathologists 1863 births 1949 deaths Academic staff of the University of Würzburg Physicians from Leipzig {{Germany-med-bio-stub