Schonlein

ORDERBY-NAME: Schonlein, Johann Lukas

OTHER-NAME: None

BIRTH: 30 November, 1793; Bamberg, Germany

DEATH: 23 January, 1864; Bamberg, Germany

CATEGORY: Medicine

DISCIPLINE: Pathlogy

ASSESSMENT: Made an important contribution to the understanding of contagious diseases

LANGUAGE: German

EDUCATION: Bamberg Gymnasium; Universities of Landshut and Wurzburg

ACHIEVEMENT: He was the leading German clinician of the time.

MAJOR-WORK:

PARENTS: Thomas Schonlein;  Margaretha Hummer

SPOUSE: Theresa Heffner

SIBLINGS: None

CHILDREN: One son; more than one daughter

DETAILS: Schonlein studied natural sciences at Landshut University, and then moved to the medical school there.  In 1813 he transferred to the University of Wurzburg (where medicine was still influenced by the theories of naturphilisophie* ). 

Schonlein rejected this approach in favor of direct observation and his 1816 thesis on the development of the brain, reflected this new view.

In 1817 he got a job as lecturer in Wurzburg and two years later was provisional director of the medical clinic of a Wurzburg hospital.  Two years later he was director, and professor of special pathology and therapy at the university.  One of his students was Schwann*

He soon attracted students from all over Europe, keen to learn from his modern techniques:  the latest chest tapping and stethoscopic techniques from France were a regular practice,  as was the use of microscopic and chemical reagents in the study of urine, blood and other secretions.  Schonlein emphasized direct observation and logical reasoning in the analysis of symptoms.

In 1827 he married and in 1832 his teaching contract was cancelled because of his liberal political views. He moved to Frankfurt, but had to move on for the same reasons.

In 1833 he became professor at the new university hospital in Zurich.

Following up the work of Bassi* he wrote to the great physiologist Muller* (who published his letter) describing the cause of favus  (honeycomb ringworm,  which causes crusts to form on the scalp) as a minute parasitic fungus.  This implication of a micro-organism in the transmission of disease in humans was a major step forward in the understanding of contagion, and Schonlein promised follow-up investigation, but never undertook the work.     Henle* referred to the paper in his own study of contagion. 

Schonlein’s discovery opened up the new field of mycology (study of fungus) in medicine. In 1837 he also noticed the presence of a rash of purple spots (caused by hemorrhaging of tiny blood vessels) on the skin in association with arthritic joint pain.   He also introduced the terms ‘tuberculosis’  and ‘hemophilia.’

In 1839 he left Zurich because, as a Catholic, he could not become a citizen.

In 1840 he became Professor of Medicine at Berlin and director of the Charite Clinic, where his assistant was Remak*

At Berlin his teaching continued to attract students such as Virchow* and Billroth*.

In 1859 Schonlein left Berlin for Bamberg, where he spent the rest of his life with his daughters.

EXTRA-CONNECTIONS:  He taught William Adams*, Vierordt*

His work on disease transmission related to that of Spallanzani* and Volta*

ONELINER: JL Schonlein, German pioneer in contagious diseases

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Dictionary of Scientific Biography