- Adolph Kussmaul
Adolph Kussmaul (
February 22 ,1822 -May 28 ,1902 ) was a German physician and a leading clinician of his time. He was born as the son and grandson of physicians at Graben nearKarlsruhe and studied atHeidelberg . He entered the army after graduation and spent two years as an army surgeon. This was followed by a period as ageneral practitioner before he went toWürzburg to study for hisdoctorate under Virchow.He was subsequently Professor of Medicine at
Heidelberg (1857),Erlangen (1859), Freiburg (1859) and Strassburg (1876).Eponymous terms
He described two medical signs and one disease which have eponymous names that remain in use:
*Kussmaul breathing - Very deep and labored breathing with normal or reduced frequency seen in severeDiabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
*Kussmaul sign - Paradoxical rise in theJugular venous pressure (JVP) on inhalation inConstrictive pericarditis orChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
*Kussmaul disease (Also calledKussmaul-Maier disease ) -Polyarteritis nodosa .The following eponymous terms are considered archaic:
* Kussmaul's coma -diabetic coma due to ketoacidosis.
* Kussmaul's aphasia -selective mutism .Firsts
* First to describe
dyslexia in 1877. (He called it 'word blindness'.)
* First to describepolyarteritis nodosa .
* First to describeprogressive bulbar paralysis .
* First to diagnosemesenteric embolism .
* First to performpleural tap ping andgastric lavage .
* First to attempt oesophagoscopy and gastroscopy.References
*B.G. Firkin & J.A.Whitworth (1987). "Dictionary of Medical Eponyms". Parthenon Publishing. ISBN 1-85070-333-7
External links
* [http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/618.html Adolf Kussmaul] , biography from Who Named It?.
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