Johannes Bohn (20 July 1640 – 19 December 1718) was a German physician who was a native of

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 studied medicine at the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

and the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

, and received his doctorate in 1665. In 1668 he was promoted to the anatomical chair at Leipzig, and in 1690 succeeded Gottfried Welsch (1618–1690) as for the city of Leipzig. In 1691 he was appointed

city physician City physician (German: ; , , from Latin ) was a historical title in the Late Middle Ages for a physician appointed by the city council. The city physician was responsible for the health of the population, particularly the poor, and the sanitary ...

, and in 1691 professor of therapeutics. He later held the office of

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

at the University of Leipzig (1693–94). Bohn was known for his pioneer work as a medical-legal officer in forensic medicine. He introduced the policy of thorough

autopsies An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...

of the deceased, and specialized in the investigation of lethal wounds. He also did early research concerning the

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 ...

of the

circulatory system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

. Many of Bohn's scientific writings were burned prior to his death, as stipulated in his will. Two of his important medical works that survived are: * * (1689): a medical-legal treatise in which he analyzes the distinction between purposeful and accidental fatal wounds. * * (1710): a series of lectures on respiration, circulation, the digestive process, fetal development, et al.

Principal works

* (Leipzig, 1675). * (Leipzig, 1685). * (Leipzig, 1678). * (Leipzig, 1689). * (Leipzig, 1683). * (Leipzig, 1680). * (Leipzig, 1689). * (Leipzig, 1689).

References

External links

Bohadin
at ''The General biographical dictionary'' (London 1812), pp. 519–520.]
François-Xavier Feller, ''Dictionnaire historique'', p. 366.
1640 births 1718 deaths 17th-century German physicians 18th-century German physicians Academic staff of Leipzig University Rectors of Leipzig University Physicians from Leipzig 17th-century German writers 17th-century German male writers {{Germany-med-bio-stub