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Billroth, CAT

Name: Christian Albert Theodor Billroth

Achievements: Abdominal surgery

Born: April 26, 1829; Bergen, on the island of Rugen, Prussia (Germany)

Died: February 6, 1894; Abbazia, Austria-Hungary (now Opatija, Croatia) (Aged 64)

Field & Discipline: Medicine; Surgeon

Language: German

Father: Rev. Carl Theodore Billroth

Mother: Johanne Christine Nagel

Siblings: Billroth; 4 younger brothers

Spouse: Christine Michaelis (m. 1858 to daughter of court physician, Edgar M. Michaelis and Karoline Eunike)

Children: 4 daughters; 1 son

Education: University of Griefswald, Germany; University of Gottingen, Germany

Major Work:

"Die Allgemeine chirurgische Pathologie und Therapie”  (1863, “General Surgical Pathology and Therapeutics”)

Life & Times:

Though Billroth displayed  great  aptitude for music,  his widowed mother decided  a  career in medicine would be more lucrative, and in 1848 sent him off to the University of Greifswald.

It was only when he transferred to the University of Gottingen in 1849 with Baum that he developed a real interest  in medicine.  He was surrounded by eminent scholars, including  [fellow-student was] Wohler*.

At Gottingen, Billroth was introduced to the Swedish soprano [met] Jenny Lind* after one of her concerts.  He also established a lasting friendship with [a pal of] Meissner*, who, like Billroth, was interested in music.

In 1881 Billroth accompanied Wagner and Meissner on a trip to Trieste to study he nerves of the torpedo fish  (electric ray).  They then toured  the Universities of Giessen, Marburg, Heidelberg and Vienna.  But  Billroth's first long journey was cut short with the news that his mother had died of tuberculosis.

In 1851, with the financial assistance of his grandmother,  Billroth went to continue his studies in Berlin, where Bernard von Langenbeck,  [learned from] Schonlein*, Romberg and Traube (pathology) were all doing important work in medicine. Traube taught Billroth experimental pathology and encouraged him to write his thesis, "De natura et causa pulmonum affectionis, quae nervo utroque vago dissecto exoritur", which won him his doctorate in 1852.

In 1853 , Billroth traveled to Vienna to take courses in dermatology, pathology,  and internal medicine.  Back in Berlin Billroth turned his attention to pathological histology, then a new science.  During the next three years (1853-57), he published 14 papers. These included studies on the development of the blood vessels and on the comparative histology of the spleen, a monograph on the structure of mucous polyps, work on the cysts of the testicles, on fibroid tumours of the superior maxilla, on tumours of the parotid gland and on the mammary gland.

In 1860, Billroth was named professor and director of the surgical hospital and clinic at the University of Zurich.  He remained there seven years. Billroth was especially interested in the causes of wound fever. He insisted on regular temperature-taking and believed that wound-fever was caused by chemical poison produced by a living organism.

While at Zurich  he published his celebrated  "Die Allgemeine chirurgische Pathologie und Therapie" (1863; General Surgical Pathology and Therapeutics).  It   saw eight editions in Billroth's lifetime. Also in Zurich, he took up  the viola with great success, and started weekly musical gatherings,  at his home,  that continued for almost 30 years. He also  wrote musical reviews and criticisms for the "Neue Zurichsche Zeitung".

Because of his interest in music, Billroth  became friends with [played with] Brahms*.  They had met in the summer of 1866 in Switzerland, through a mutual friend, Theodor Kirchner.  They  saw much of each other when Billroth moved to Vienna.  In Alserstrasse and St. Gilgen on the Wolfgang See, under the auspices of Billroth,  many of Brahms's best known songs and chamber music were played for the first time.  Billroth's eldest daughter was the first to sing many of the songs. Two of Brahms's string quartets are dedicated to Billroth.

In 1867, Billroth accepted the post of professor of surgery and director of the surgical clinic at the University of Vienna, one of most important medical posts in Europe.   He remained at the Vienna clinic until his death, much beloved by his students, assistants and patients.

Billroth's collection of clinical experiences, "Chirurgische Klinik " (1869-1876), is notable because it reports  failures as well as  successes, and marks the beginning of the era of statistics in surgery, Billroth was a tireless worker, often at his microscope 16 to 18 hours a day.

He was one of the first to introduce antisepsis  and , after studying cadavers and conducting long experiments on living animals, he was the first to resect the esophagus (1872). He also was the first to perform a total laryngectomy (1873), and to resect a cancerous pylorus (resection of the stomach for an extensive carcinoma) (1881), which caused a great stir in medical circles.

Billroth founded the home of the Royal Society of Physicians in Vienna and, in association with the Red Cross, the Rudolfinerhaus, a nursing school. Though robust  for most of his life, Billroth contracted pneumonia in 1887. His heart  became progressively weaker and in December of 1893 he went to Italy to try to regain his health,  but he died at Abbazia in February,1894.   He was buried at Vienna with much pomp.

Extra Connections: He was a believer in the disease theory of  [a follower of] Koch*

He disagreed with the sepsis theories of [opposed theory of] Liebig*

He was taught by [taught by] Muller*

His family doctor was [physician was] Breuer*

He worked for [worked for] Langenback*

Assessment:  By 1881 Billroth had made intestinal surgery  a common practice.

Oneliner: Theodore Billroth,  early intestinal surgeon

Bibliography:

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