Karl Friedrich Canstatt (11 July 1807, in Regensburg – 10 March 1850, in

Erlangen Erlangen (; East Franconian: ''Erlang'', Bavarian: ''Erlanga'') is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 116,062 inhab ...

) was a German physician and medical author.

Biography

He received his education at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

, followed by studies under

Johann Lukas Schönlein Johann Lukas Schönlein (30 November 1793 – 23 January 1864) was a German naturalist, and professor of medicine, born in Bamberg. He studied medicine at Landshut, Jena, Göttingen, and Würzburg. After teaching at Würzburg and Zurich, he was ...

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 ...

, where in 1831 he obtained his medical doctorate. The following year, he went to Paris to study Asiatic cholera, a disease that was then epidemic in the French capital. Canstatt's study of the disease, published in 1832, attracted the attention of the Belgian government, which commissioned him to take charge in establishment and management of a cholera hospital. He remained in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

until 1838, afterwards returning to Regensburg in order to practice

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a 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. Following a medic ...

. The same year he was appointed physician to the provincial law court at

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, ...

, where he stayed until 1843. Following the death of professor

Adolph Henke Adolph Christian Heinrich Henke (13 April 1775 in Braunschweig – 8 August 1843) was a German physician and pharmacologist known for his work in medical forensics. He was father-in-law to anatomist Rudolf Wagner (1805-1864). Following studies ...

(1843), he was appointed to the chair of

pathology 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 ...

at the

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. In 1846, he was stricken with

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, i ...

, and believing that a change of climate would be beneficial, he relocated to Pisa. After a period of time in Italy, with no substantial improvement to his health, he returned to Erlangen.

Works

Canstatt's greatest service to medicine was the creation and publication of the yearbook, ''Jahresbericht über die Fortschritte der Gesammten Medicin in Allen Ländern'' (Annual report of progress on the whole of medicine in all countries), begun in 1841, and continued for many years after his death. He was also the author of treatises on diseases of the eyes (1841) and

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

(1844). Significant publications by Canstatt include: * ''Die Cholera in Paris'' (1832) - Cholera in Paris. * ''Über die Krankheiten der Choreida'' (1837) - On diseases of the choroid. * ''Die Krankheiten des Höheren Alters und Ihre Heilung'' (1839). * ''Handbuch der Medicinischen Klinik'' (1841) — he appears to have been the first to use the term

psychosis Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...

in his 1841 handbook.The Concept of Psychosis: Historical and Phenomenological Aspects
Martin Bürgy, Schizophr Bull (2008) 34 (6): 1200-1210. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbm136 * ''Die Specielle Pathologie und Therapie'', etc. (1841–42) - Special pathology and therapy. * ''Klinische Rückblicke und Abhandlungen'' (1848) - Clinical summaries and treatises.

Notes

References

* (biography and list of publications). {{DEFAULTSORT:Canstatt, Karl Friedrich 1807 births 1850 deaths People from Regensburg German ophthalmologists German pathologists Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

Biography

Works

See also

Notes

References