Jakob Kolletschka

Jacob Kolletschka ( born July 4, 1803 in German Bielau (Bohemia ), † March 13 1847 in Vienna ) was an Austrian physician.

Kolletschka studied at the Vienna University, where he also received his doctorate. At the pathological- anatomical institute, which was headed by Rokitansky, he was with short breaks for ten years assistant. In 1837 he began to hold private lessons on pathological anatomy, which were well attended. In 1839 he authored with Joseph Skoda " About pericarditis ". This work was published in the Austrian yearbooks and made the connection between the results of the investigation body and the observations at the bedside in a hitherto unreached manner and the nature of the pathological- anatomical diagnosis apparent.

As Kolletschka left the pathological- anatomical institute, he worked for three years as leader ( chief physician ) at the Hospital of the Sisters of Mercy in Leopoldstadt. In 1843 he was appointed professor of political Pharmacology and Forensic Medicine. This function he carried out for four years.

With a finger injury in a post-mortem, which was inflicted on him by one of his students with a scalpel unintentionally, he suffered blood poisoning, where he died on 13 March 1847.

Ignaz Semmelweis noticed similarities in the disease course of Kolletschka and puerperal fever. This led him to believe that the cause of sepsis was in poor hygiene in the case of Kolletschka.

In 1972, the Kolletschkagasse was named after him in the 22nd district of Vienna Danube city.