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Home , Albrecht von Graefe

Singapore Med J 2007; 48 (9) : 797

Medicine in Stamps Albrecht von Graefe (1828-1870): founder of scientific

Tan S Y, MD, JD and Zia J K, BA* Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Hawaii *Research done during senior medical clerkship, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii

Ancient Greece counted on some 30 different many famous students, including Argyll Robertson, gods to protect her health, but none was Friedrich Homer and Theodore Billroth. designated guardian of sight. The Pharaohs of Egypt trusted special court physicians THE ACADEMICIAN Von Graefe became an asso- to treat trachoma, the dreaded chlamydial eye disease ciate professor, then a full professor of ophthalmology that plagued its citizens, but they were helpless against at the University of , and was the first German its blinding outcome. Through the centuries, physicians professor of eye diseases. Enthusiastic with high mostly fumbled when it came to eye ailments, leaving expectations, he captured the eager minds of many, them to the machinations of quacks. Little was known through outstanding lectures at the university, writings of the physiology of the human eye, and treatment in his journal, or discussions at meetings. One of his modalities were rudimentary and ineffective. However, protegés, Karl Weber, noted: "One was spell -bound in in the mid -nineteen century, a quartet of gifted European his clinic, as if in a magic place. The multitude of new doctors pooled their insight and experience to form a facts and viewpoints ever heard before, the fascinating discipline that offered new diagnostic presentation and glowing enthusiasm and therapeutic interventions for the z acted like a revelation." Another admirer, â Mà[ilvdu first time. Called oculists, they were x AemGravfe EV Bergman, wrote: "... there gush forth w von Arlt, Donders, von Helmholtz, ro thoughts which would cause the brain of and Albrecht von Graefe, the leader of an ordinary mortal to exhaust itself or the pack. even burst asunder, rather than procure Described as tall, dark and handsome, such masterly concepts."

Albrecht von Graefe was the wealthy son Von Graefe established an eye clinic - of Dr Carl Ferdinand von Graefe, the hospital in Berlin, which immediately Prussian Surgeon General and Director became a renowned centre for the study of of Surgery at the university hospital in ophthalmic medicine. It formed the model Berlin. Born in 1828, he took his early for many similar clinics in and education at the local French high school, Switzerland. In 1854, at the age of 26 then studied philosophy, physics and mathematics, and years, he founded the prestigious eye journal Archiv für obtained his medical degree in 1847. After graduation, Ophthalmologie, with Donders and von Arlt serving as he set out for , where he met Carl Ferdinand von co-editors. Its first issue consisted of 480 pages, 400 of Arlt, then the best-known oculist in Europe. Professor which were personally penned by him. von Arlt and others played a vital role in shaping von A gregarious person, von Graefe hosted many Graefe's interest in eye diseases. But the turning point boisterous dinner parties, which provided the opportunity came in , where he worked at Moorefield's for collaborative discussions. Out of these gatherings Hospital, a specialty hospital for diseases of the eye, and grew the first unofficial meeting of the German Ophthal- there met Franz Cornelius Donders, a Dutch physiologist mological Society held in the town of Heidelberg in 1857. of refraction fame, with whom he would eventually forge The Society was officially founded in 1863, and when not only friendship but new scientific theories. first established, was the only international organisation Von Graefe's circle of friends included many notable of its kind (but had only four non -German members). men in ophthalmology, such as Hermann von Helmholtz, inventor of the ophthalmoscope, and William Bowman, , AND EYE -BRAIN who discovered Bowman's membrane, the anterior INTEGRATION Von Graefe is best known for his limiting membrane in the cornea. Von Graefe also taught pioneering work in glaucoma, a condition then thought Singapore Med J 2007; 48 (9) : 798

to be purely inflammatory in nature. The source of physiology of the extraocular muscles. In his first three intraocular fluid was unknown, even though Schlemm's years of practice, he inspected over 200 cases of ocular canal, the key outlet in the eye's drainage system, had palsies, and began to develop new theories of strabismus. been discovered back in 1830. Von Graefe incorrectly He used prisms to map out images, and performed fingered the iris as the site of fluid manufacture, but successful operations on patients with palsies and quickly recognised that raised intraocular pressure was strabismus. And he is known to all endocrinologists for the actual culprit in glaucoma, correctly linking this to "von Graefe's sign," which describes the inability of the optic nerve atrophy and blindness. He classified glaucoma upper eyelid to track the globe upon downward gaze in into three sub -types, and open -angle glaucoma is still exophthalmic goitre (Graves' disease). known in some quarters as "maladie de Graefe." He even Eventually, Von Graefe would reach the conclusion began work on a device called an impression-tonometer that fusion of the two images from both eyes into one to measure intraocular pressure, but had to abandon his coherent image occurred not in the retina but in the brain. efforts because of the lack of superficial anaesthesia. This shifted the focus to the brain as the integrating centre Von Graefe introduced iridectomy as a surgical for visual perception. He introduced perimetry and the solution to relieve the intraocular pressure. His particular plotting of visual fields, and described different types of method is still relevant today in certain kinds of hemianopsias, postulating, for example, that homonymous glaucoma, notwithstanding the advent of laser iridectomy. hemianopsias were due to unilateral cerebral disease. His clinical experience also helped to pinpoint the importance of pupillary constriction (miosis), with the AN EARLY END In 1862, von Graefe developed eventual development and use of miotic medications by tuberculous pleurisy. He was then only 34 years old. his students. Despite an apparent remission a year later, his disease In 1865, von Graefe introduced a new approach to soon relapsed. He struggled with haemoptysis, but surgery by using a modified linear extraction continued to work with the help, some say, of opium. method that significantly decreased the rate of infection. He died on the night of July 20, 1870 at a young age of Hailed as one of the most significant advances in cataract 42 years. By that time, this German professor, who gave surgery since French surgeon Jacques Daviel introduced medicine its firm foundation of scientific ophthalmology, extracapsular extraction in 1748, von Graefe's technique had performed over 10,000 ophthalmic surgeries. would become the gold standard for the next one hundred years. His imprint is left today in surgical instruments BIBILOGRAPHY 1. Clendening L. Source Book of Medical History. Mineola, NY: Dover that bear his name -- the Adson-Graefe forceps and von Publications, 1942. Graefe extraction knife. 2. Clendening L. Behind the Doctor. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf In addition to surgical skills, von Graefe was Inc, 1933. 3. Krogmann F. The connections between Albrecht von Graefe a consummate clinician. He was the first to use the (Berlin) and Ferdinand vonArlt (). Available at: dog.org/1999/ ophthalmoscope invented by his friend, Hermann von e-abstract99/282.html. Accessed April 7, 2006. 4. Albrecht von Graefe, MD (deceased). Available at: ascrs.org/Awards/ Helmholtz, his expert use leading to the identification of Albrecht-von-Graefe-MD.cfm. Accessed April 7, 2006. central retinal artery embolic occlusion, papilloedema, 5. Albrecht von Graefe (1828-70). HAAS J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1998; 64:504. Available at: jnnp.bmjjoumals.com/cgi/ and . He also contributed importantly to our content/full/64/4/504. Accessed April 7, 2006. understanding of eyeball motion, and the integration of 6. Albrecht von Gräfe. Available at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_ von_Gr%C3%A4fe. Accessed April 7, 2006. brain and eye in and of images. the formation location 7. Albrecht von Gräfe. Available at: www.britannica.com/eb/article- One of his early papers described in intricate detail the 9037597. Accessed April 7, 2006. Ophthalmology owes Albrecht von Graefe numerous first discoveries such as excavation of the in glaucoma (1855), iridectomy in glaucoma (1857), or central artery occlusion (1859). But his after-effects are not only based on his clinical and scientific merits but also on his extraordinary, fascinating personality, which can be characterized by his spirit of internationality, friendship, self-criticism, love of truth, and modesty. Graefe became a myth not only because of his early death but also because he had apart from great successes, to accept human misfortunes at the same time. Albrecht von Graefe can be regarded as the conscience of ophthalmology in Germany. olume 1 of the "Archive for Ophthalmology", 1854, still without "Graefe". Albrecht von Graefe (1828-1870) is often credited as the founder of modern ophthalmology for his many contributions to the medical field through teaching, practice, invention and discovery. Among his achievements during his 20 years of committed service to ophthalmology, Graefe developed a treatment for chronic iridocyclitis with iridectomy, crafted a special knife to perform linear extraction of cataracts, and was among the first to use the ophthalmoscope to study glaucoma. Albrecht von Graefe succumbed to tuberculosis in 1870 at the age of 42. Throughout his short career, Graefe made lasting contributions to most every subspecialty and tirelessly devoted himself to enriching the field of ophthalmology. Albrecht von Graefe was founder of modern ophthalmology and separated it from surgery. Graefe's contacts, correspondency and meetings at ophthalmological congresses with his teachers, assistants, collegaues also contributed to international co-operation and internationalization in ophthalmology. Alt … Modern and scientific ophthalmology owes its beginning to him. Methods: Extensive literature research is made and contacts with institutions for history of medicine as well as medico-historians in the field of ophthalmology. Results: His contributions to ophthalmology were multiple. Von Graefe was the first to introduce iridectomy in acute glaucoma treatment, initiated visual field testing and developed the first tonometer. He made the first classification of glaucoma. Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Albrecht von Graefe (or Gräfe; May 22, 1828–July 20, 1870) was a pioneering German ophthalmologist. Graefe was born in Finkenheerd, Brandenburg, the son of Karl Ferdinand von Graefe. At an early age he showed a preference for mathematics, but this was gradually superseded by an interest in natural science, which led him ultimately to the study of medicine. After studying at Berlin, Vienna, Prague, , London, Dublin and Edinburgh, and having devoted special attention to ophthalmology, in 1850 he began to practice as an oculist in Berlin. Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Albrecht von Gräfe, often Anglicized to Graefe (22 May 1828 – 20 July 1870), was a Prussian pioneer of German ophthalmology. Graefe was born in Finkenheerd, Brandenburg, the son of Karl Ferdinand von Graefe (1787–1840). He was the father of the far right politician Albrecht von Graefe (1868–1933). At the University of Berlin, Graefe studied philosophy, logic, natural sciences and anatomy, under notable names such as Dove, H. Rose, Müller, and Schlemm, eventually obtaining his...