Wilhelm Baum (10 September 1799 – 6 September 1883) was a German surgeon born in Elbing. He studied medicine in

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 name ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, receiving his doctorate in 1822. At the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, he was influenced by Konrad Martin Langenbeck (1776–1855), Karl Gustav Himly (1772–1837) and

Friedrich Benjamin Osiander Friedrich Benjamin Osiander (9 February 1759, Zell unter Aichelberg – 25 May 1822, Göttingen) was an obstetrician at Göttingen, who invented uterine traction forceps. He was the father of obstetrician Johann Friedrich Osiander. He studied ...

(1759–1822). After graduation, he spent a year as a surgical assistant to

Karl Ferdinand von Graefe Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...

(1787–1850) in Berlin, followed by several years of study in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and the British Isles (

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

). In

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

he attended lectures and clinics by

Guillaume Dupuytren Baron Guillaume Dupuytren (; 5 October 1777 – 8 February 1835) was a French anatomist and military surgeon. Although he gained much esteem for treating Napoleon Bonaparte's hemorrhoids, he is best known today for his description of Dupuytren' ...

(1777–1835),

Dominique Jean Larrey Baron Dominique Jean Larrey (; 8 July 1766 – 25 July 1842) was a French surgeon and military doctor, who distinguished himself in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. An important innovator in battlefield medicine and triage, ...

(1766–1842) and Jean Cruveilhier (1791–1874). During his years of travel, he pursued artistic interests in addition to furthering his studies in medicine. In 1827 he returned to Berlin as a general practitioner, occasionally assisting his close friend

Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1 February 1792 – 11 November 1847) was a German surgeon. He was born in Königsberg and died in Berlin. Dieffenbach specialized in skin transplantation and plastic surgery. His work in rhinoplastic and maxillof ...

(1792–1847) with surgical operations. Afterwards he relocated to Danzig as chief surgeon at the municipal hospital. In Danzig he greatly distinguished himself during the cholera epidemic of 1831. In 1841 he undertook a research trip to Paris, where he studied

lithotripsy Lithotripsy is a non-invasive procedure involving the physical destruction of hardened masses like kidney stones, bezoars or gallstones. The term is derived from the Greek words meaning "breaking (or pulverizing) stones" ( litho- + τρίψω r ...

with

Jean Civiale Jean Civiale (1792–1867) was a French surgery, surgeon and urologist, who, in 1823,Jean Civi ...

(1792–1867) and Jean-Jacques-Joseph Leroy d'Etiolles (1798–1860), afterwards becoming a professor of surgery at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

(1842). Later in his career he was appointed professor of surgery at the

. Baum was an important influence to the career of

Theodor Billroth Christian Albert Theodor Billroth (26 April 18296 February 1894) was a German surgeon and amateur musician. As a surgeon, he is generally regarded as the founding father of modern abdominal surgery. As a musician, he was a close friend and conf ...

(1829–1894). Although considered a good teacher, he was not known for his writings. He was one of the first surgeons in Germany to perform tracheotomies for treatment of croup (1848 at Greifswald, five cases). He is also credited for providing an early mention of human pulmonary

aspergillosis Aspergillosis is a fungal infection of usually the lungs, caused by the genus ''Aspergillus'', a common mould that is breathed in frequently from the air around, but does not usually affect most people. It generally occurs in people with lung di ...

Publications

* ''De urethræ virilis fissuris congenitis speciatim vero de epispadia'', 1822 (dissertation) Books about Wilhelm Baum * ''Zum Andenken an Wilhelm Baum. Ein Nekrolog'' by Edmund Rose (1836–1914). * "Wilhelm Baum 1799-1883" by Georg B Gruber.World Cat Identities
(publications)

References

Wikisource
@ Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie {{DEFAULTSORT:Baum, Wilhelm University of Göttingen faculty University of Göttingen alumni University of Greifswald faculty 1799 births 1883 deaths People from Elbląg German surgeons People from West Prussia