Martin Blochwich (c. 1602 – 10 September 1629) was a German

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and author. He wrote the first book, ''The Anatomy of the Elder'', about the medicinal uses of the European

elderberry ''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ge ...

tree (''

Sambucus nigra ''Sambucus nigra'' is a species complex of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae native to most of Europe. Common names include elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, European black elderberry and tramman (Isle ...

''), which still is regarded as the standard text for the practice.

School and studies

After his elementary school years in

Großenhain Großenhain (also written as Grossenhain; hsb, Wulki Hojn) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meissen, Saxony, Germany. It was originally known as Hayne. The current name simply means "big Hayne" History ...

, Blochwich was accepted by the Fürstenschule Schulpforta in

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...

(

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale ...

), where he obtained his university entrance qualification in 1622. He studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

at the

Leipzig University 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 December ...

until 1626. On 4 July 1626, the Medical Faculty of the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

(Switzerland) awarded him a doctorate degree.

Life and work

After his studies, Blochwich worked temporary in

, where he may have also researched his comprehensive work ''The Anatomy of the Elder''. There are references to patients from Großenhain, which indicate this. In 1628 he settled in

Oschatz Oschatz () is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in Saxony, Germany. It is located 60 km east of Leipzig and 60 km west of Dresden. Geography Site and climate Oschatz lies in the Saxon Lowland and is located on the river Dölln ...

Early death

On 10 September 1629, Martin Blochwich died at the age of 26-27 in Oschatz. The cause of his death is unknown.

''The Anatomy of the Elder''

In this book, Blochwich described the cultivated plant in three units over 298 pages. *Unit 1: The

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

of the elder with an explanation of the origin of the name, as well as where it could be found, its growth and characteristics. *Unit 2: In six chapters Blochwich described the preparation of

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

compote Compote or compôte (French for ''mixture'') is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...

, oil, tablets, ointment, juice,

syrup In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...

, spirit, water, wine and sugar made of elder in detail and gave recipes. *Unit 3: Thirty-three chapters about the treatment of diseases. Recipes have exact descriptions for the production of medicines made of

elderflower ''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ge ...

, elderberry, elder marrow and elder bark. The book also contains references to the opinions of famous doctors from the Greek/Roman eras the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. These sections provided advice to doctors of Blockwitz's era on using elder preparations internally and externally. The conditions include breast and

uterine The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...

diseases,

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the ha ...

, tumours, infectious diseases, lung disease,

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

intestines The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

spleen The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes .

and

gall bladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...

, mental illness, stroke and paralysis,

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 ...

, unclear fever and pain, poisonings, injuries, worm infestation and

toothache Toothache, also known as dental pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or pain referred to the t ...

Distribution of the book

* In 1631, two years after Blochwich's death, Johannes Blochwich, who may have been his brother, published the ''Anatomia Sambuci'', written in Latin, in

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 ...

. *In 1642 the book was translated into German by Daniel Beckher, a professor of 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 ...

, who mentioned Blochwich's work in his own book ''Nützliche kleine Haus-Apotheke''. After 1642, Blochwich's book was reprinted in 1650, 1665 and 1685. It is the only translation into German. *In 1650 the Latin version of ''Anatomia Sambuci'' appeared in England. It was translated into English by Christopher Irvine in 1651 and published in English in 1655, 1670, 1677 on the recommendation of the British Royal Society. *In 2010 the ''Anatomia Sambuci'' was reprinted and an updated English version of ''Anatomia Sambuci'' appeared.

Memory honoured

On the occasion of the opening of the Elder Show Garden in Feldbach (Styria/Austria) a new elder variety previously known Klon B2 was renamed Blochwitz on 23 May 2013.

Different spellings of the name

Blochwich's name has been spelt in several ways, which may have been due to the path taken by his book from

in East Prussia in 1642 to London in 1650 and the related translations. The name has been written as Blockwich, Blockwitz, Blochwich and Blochwitz.

Literature

*Sepp Porta, Michael Hlatky, Johannes Christandl: ''Holunder-Wunderwelt; Verlagshaus der Ärzte''; 1. Auflage (2012): *Manfred Schollmeyer: ''Die Anatomie des Holunders und seine medizinische Anwendung''; Oschatzer Geschichts-und Heimatverein e. V.; 1. Auflage (2014):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blowich, Martin 17th-century German physicians People from Meissen (district) 1600s births 1629 deaths 17th-century German writers 17th-century German male writers