Matthias Eugen Oscar Liebreich (14 February 1839 – 2 July 1908) was a German

pharmacologist Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

Biography

He was a native of

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

. He studied chemistry under

Carl Remigius Fresenius Carl Remigius Fresenius (28 December 1818 – 11 June 1897), was a German chemist, known for his studies in analytical chemistry. Biography Fresenius was born on 28 December 1818, in Frankfurt, Germany. After working for some time for a pharmac ...

(1818–1897) in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

, and studied medicine in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

and

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 ...

, obtaining his degree in 1865. Beginning in 1867, he worked as an assistant in the

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

department of the

pathological Pathology is the study of the causal, 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 us ...

institute under

Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (; or ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder ...

. Later on, he became a professor of therapeutics (1868) and director of the pharmacology institute in Berlin (1872). In 1889 he was co-founder of the ''Balneologischen Gesellschaft'' (

Balneology Balneotherapy ( la, balneum "bath") is a method of treating diseases by bathing, a traditional medicine technique usually practiced at spas. Since ancient times, humans have used hot springs, public baths and thermal medicine for therapeutic eff ...

Society) in Berlin, and was its chairman until his death in 1908.

Contributions

Liebreich introduced the method of phaneroscopic illumination for the study of

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

; showed the value of

cantharidin Cantharidin is an odorless, colorless fatty substance of the terpenoid class, which is secreted by many species of blister beetles. It is a burn agent or a poison in large doses, but preparations containing it were historically used as aphrodisiac ...

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, of mercuric formamide and of

lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically fo ...

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

, of butylchloral hydrate and of

ethylene chloride Ethylene chloride is a chemical name that can refer to either of the following compounds: {{Chemistry index ...

The modern chemical which has anesthetic properties which is referred to as ethylene chloride is

vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula H2C=CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC ...

, which is toxic. as

anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

s. In 1865, he gave the name "protagon" to a proximate principle discovered in the brain and in blood corpuscles. He is well known for his investigations pertaining to the sedative and hypnotic properties of

chloral hydrate Chloral hydrate is a geminal diol with the formula . It is a colorless solid. It has limited use as a sedative and hypnotic pharmaceutical drug. It is also a useful laboratory chemical reagent and precursor. It is derived from chloral (trichl ...

(1869), and was an important factor in the drugs' popularity during the latter half of the 19th century. He also made valued contributions in his chemical research of

boracic acid Boric acid, more specifically orthoboric acid, is a compound of boron, oxygen, and hydrogen with formula . It may also be called hydrogen borate or boracic acid. It is usually encountered as colorless crystals or a white powder, that dissolves ...

. Liebreich edited the ''Therapeutische Monatshefte'' (1887 sqq.) and the ''Encyklopädie der Therapie'' (1895 sqq.), and with Alexander Langgard, published a ''Kompendium der Arzneiverordnung'' (5th ed. 1902).

Works

* ''Compendium der Arzneiverordnung : nach der Pharmakopoe für das deutsche Reich und den neuesten fremden Pharmakopoeen'' . Fischer, Berlin 3., vollständig umgearb. Aufl. 189
Digital edition
/ 4., vollst. umgearb. Aufl. 189
Digital edition
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...

* (translated into English
''Effects of borax and boracic acid on the human system''
London, J. & A. Churchill, 1899.

Family

He was a younger brother of

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

Richard Liebreich Richard Liebreich (30 June 1830 – 19 January 1917) was a German ophthalmologist and physiologist who was a native of Königsberg. He was of Jewish ancestry. In 1853 he earned his doctorate at Halle, and from 1854 until 1862 was an assistant t ...

(1830–1917).

Notes

References

* ''This article incorporates translated text from an equivalent article at the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

''. * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Liebreich, Oscar 1839 births 1908 deaths German pharmacologists Scientists from Königsberg People from the Province of Prussia Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin