Felix Victor Birch-Hirschfeld (2 May 1842 – 19 November 1899) was a German pathologist who was a native of Kluvensieck bei Rendsburg.

Biography

In 1867 he received his medical doctorate from the University of Leipzig, where he studied under Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich (1815–1877) and Ernst Leberecht Wagner (1828–1888). In 1870 he became a prosector at the city hospital in Dresden, and in 1885 returned to Leipzig, where he succeeded Julius Cohnheim (1839–1884) as chair of pathological anatomy. One of his better known assistants was pathologist Christian Georg Schmorl (1861–1932). Birch-Hirschfeld made important contributions in several facets of pathological medicine. He is known for his work in the field of bacteriology, with tuberculosis being the primary focus in regards to

infectious diseases An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

. In 1898 he described the unitary nature of nephroblastoma.

Associated eponym

* "Birch-Hirschfeld stain": A

stain A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

that was formerly used for demonstrating

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of 7–13 nm in diameter, a beta sheet (β-sheet) secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the hu ...

, and consisted of a mixture of Bismarck brown and

crystal violet Crystal violet or gentian violet, also known as methyl violet 10B or hexamethyl pararosaniline chloride, is a triarylmethane dye used as a histological stain and in Gram's method of classifying bacteria. Crystal violet has antibacterial, ant ...

Selected writings

* ''Lehrbuch der Pathologischen Anatomie'', (Textbook of pathological anatomy) Leipsig, 1877 * ''Die Entstehung der Gelbsucht neugeborener Kinder'', (The emergence of

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme met ...

in newborn children); '' Virchow's Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für klinische Medicin'', Berlin, LXXXVII. * ''The Skrophulose'', In:

Hugo Wilhelm von Ziemssen Hugo (Wilhelm) von Ziemssen (13 December 1829 – 21 January 1902) was a German physician, born in Greifswald. He studied medicine at the universities of Greifswald, Berlin, and Würzburg. In 1863 he was called to the University of Erlangen as a ...

's "Handbuch der speciellen Pathologie und Therapie". Volume XIII; second edition * ''Grundriss der Allgemeinen Pathologie'', (Outline of general pathology) Leipzig, 1892 * ''Über die Krankheiten der Leber und Milz'', (On diseases of the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it ...

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 .

). In: Carl Jakob Adolf Christian Gerhardt's "Handbuch der Kinderkrankheiten". Volume IV,

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 thre ...

, H. Laupp, (1877–1893).Who Named It
bibliography of Birch-Hirschfeld

References

''Felix Victor Birch-Hirschfeld''
@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

1842 births 1899 deaths People from Rendsburg-Eckernförde German pathologists Members of the First Chamber of the Diet of the Kingdom of Saxony Academic staff of Leipzig University Leipzig University alumni {{Germany-med-bio-stub

Biography

Associated eponym

Selected writings

See also

References