- Ludwig Laqueur
Ludwig Laqueur (1839 - 1909) was a German
ophthalmologist who was head of the ophthalmology clinic inStrassburg . Earlier in his career, he studied underAlbrecht von Graefe (1828-1870).Laqueur is remembered for his research of
physostigmine , a chemical substance found in theCalabar bean ("Physostigma venenosa") of West Africa. In 1876 he published "Ueber eine neue therapeutische Verwendung des Physostigmin", suggesting the use of physostigmine for the treatment ofglaucoma . Laqueur noticed that extracts of the Calabar bean significantly lowered intraocular pressure. He could attest to these results first-hand, because Laqueur suffered from glaucoma, a fact that was kept secret from his medical colleagues until after his death.References
* [http://www.herbalgram.org/youngliving/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=1156 Ophthalmology's Botanical Heritage at Herbalgram.org]
* Hans-Peter Laqueur (Ed.): "Louis Laqueur: Aus meinem Leben, Erinnerungen", Nicosia 1997, [http://www.hplqr.de/louislaqueur.htm]External links
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=71&letter=L JewishEncyclopedia]
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