Victor von Bruns (9 August 1812 – 19 March 1883) was a German surgeon born in

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage of ...

. He studied at

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

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 ...

, Halle and Berlin, and from 1843 to 1882 was a professor of surgery at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

. His son,

Paul von Bruns Paul von Bruns was a German surgeon. He was born in Tübingen, and was the son of surgeon Victor von Bruns. His father-in-law was Protestant theologian Karl Heinrich Weizsäcker. Bruns was born July 2, 1846. In 1882, Bruns became director of the ...

(1846-1916) was also a professor of surgery at

. In 1872 he was a founding member of the

German Society of Surgery The German Society of Surgery (german: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie) is a German medical organization. It was founded in 1872 and is one of the oldest medical-scientific learned societies. It is headquartered in Berlin and is headed by pre ...

. Bruns was a leading authority in the field of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

and

reconstructive surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implica ...

, particularly known for his work in lip and cheek reconstruction. He is also known for his pioneer work in

laryngology Laryngology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders, diseases and injuries of the larynx, colloquially known as the voice box. Laryngologists treat disorders of the larynx, including diseases that affects the voice, swallowing, or upper a ...

, and was among the first to perform operations for laryngeal polyps and

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

s. Bruns popularized usage of absorbent cotton wool dressings, which later became a standard practice in modern

antiseptic An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

treatment of wounds.
Hartmann International Web Page He died in

Written works

* ''Handbuch der praktischen Chirurgie'' (Textbook of practical surgery); Tübingen 1854-60, two volumes, with atlas 1853 ff. * ''Durchschneidung der Gesichtsnerven beim Gesichtsschmerz''; (Transection of the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of tas ...

for treatment of facial pain); Tübingen 1859 * ''Behandlung schlecht geheilter Beinbrüche'' (Treatment of poorly healed

bone fracture A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

s); Berlin 1861 * ''Die erste Ausrottung eines Polypen in der Kehlkopfhöhle ohne blutige Eröffnung der Luftwege'' (Treatise on removal of a laryngeal polyp), (two editions- Tübingen 1862; Nachtrag 1863) * ''Chirurgische Heilmittellehre'' (Surgical therapy instruction); Tübingen 1868-73 * ''Arzneioperationen oder Darstellung sämtlicher Methoden der manuellen Applikation von Arzneistoffen''; Tübingen 1869 * ''Die Laryngoskopie und laryngoskopische Chirurgie'' (Laryngoscopy and laryngoscopic surgery); Tübingen 1865, with atlas; second edition- 1873 * ''Die Galvano-Chirurgie'' (

Electrosurgery Electrosurgery is the application of a high-frequency (radio frequency) alternating polarity, electrical current to biological tissue as a means to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue.Hainer BL, "Fundamentals of electrosurgery", ''Jou ...

); Tübingen 1870 * ''Die galvanokaustischen Apparate und Instrumente'' (Galvano-caustic apparatus and instruments); Tübingen 1878 * ''Die Amputation der Gliedmaßen durch Zirkelschnitt mit vordern Hautlappen''; Tübingen 1879

References

* ''Parts of this article are based on a translation of the equivalent article from the German Wikipedia.''
NCBI
Victor von Bruns (1812-1883) and his contributions to plastic and reconstructive surgery. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruns, Victor von 1812 births 1883 deaths People from Helmstedt People from the Duchy of Brunswick German surgeons Technical University of Braunschweig alumni Academic staff of the University of Tübingen