Ferdinand Sauerbruch
German surgeon (1875–1951)
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Key Takeaways
- Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch ( German: [ˈzaʊ.
- His major work was on the use of negative-pressure chambers for surgery.
- He studied medicine at the Philipps University of Marburg, the University of Greifswald, the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, and the University of Leipzig, from the last of which he graduated in 1902.
- This invention was a breakthrough in thorax medicine and allowed heart and lung operations to take place at greatly reduced risk.
- Sauerbruch worked at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 1918 to 1927 on surgical techniques and diets for treating tuberculosis.
Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch (German: [ˈzaʊ.ɐˌbʁʊx]; 3 July 1875 – 2 July 1951) was a German surgeon. His major work was on the use of negative-pressure chambers for surgery.
Biography
Sauerbruch was born in Barmen (now a district of Wuppertal), Germany. He studied medicine at the Philipps University of Marburg, the University of Greifswald, the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, and the University of Leipzig, from the last of which he graduated in 1902. He went to Breslau in 1903, where he developed the Sauerbruch chamber, a pressure chamber for operating on the open thorax, which he demonstrated in 1904. This invention was a breakthrough in thorax medicine and allowed heart and lung operations to take place at greatly reduced risk. As a battlefield surgeon during World War I, he developed several new types of limb prostheses, which for the first time enabled simple movements to be executed with the remaining muscle of the patient.
Sauerbruch worked at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 1918 to 1927 on surgical techniques and diets for treating tuberculosis. From 1928 to 1949, he was the head of the surgical department at the Charité in Berlin, attaining international fame for his innovative operations. Because of his experience and extraordinary skills, he quickly attained an international reputation and operated on many prominent patients. At the same time, he was well known for his uncompromising and passionate dedication to all patients independent of their social, political or ethnic backgrounds.
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