Johann Conrad Peyer

Johann Conrad Peyer ( born December 26, 1653 Schaffhausen, † February 29, 1712 ) was a Swiss physician.

Life and work

Johann Conrad Peyer was born the fifth of twelve children of the prestigious Schaffhausen bourgeois family " Peyer with the awakening ". His father, Hans Conrad Peyer, was director of the Collegium humanitatis, the grammar school of Schaffhausen, which was donated by the family Peyer. After the early death of his mother, Barbara Ziegler, from the family " Ziegler to the lantern " 1663 Peyer accompanied his father into Maiental where this was a federal bailiff in the years 1664 and 1665. Then visited the Collegium Peyer humanitatis in Schaffhausen, where he probably acquired his outstanding linguistic education. Particularly noteworthy are his knowledge of Latin expression.

A family friend, Johann Jakob Wepfer, since 1647 the city physician in Schaffhausen, probably contributed as a model Johann Conrad Peyer's with his decision when to study medicine. From 1673 to 1675 Peyer studied at the Faculty of Medicine in Basel, where at that time Professor Johann Heinrich Glaser taught. Here Peyer befriended Johann Jacob Harder and John von Muralt. Because Glaser in 1675 died of a contagious fever, Peyer went on the advice of his father back to Schaffhausen back. Here he studied and researched during the next two years on the free Schaffhäuser medical school together with his former friend Johann Conrad Brunner under the guidance of Johann Jakob Wepfer. Preferred research object of the three scientists were the glands of the intestine.

1677 published Peyer his first work, the Exercitatio anatomico - medica de glandulis intestinorum earumque usu et affectionibus in which he aggregatii of the human small intestine described the nodules lymph, which he mistook for glands. This error remained until the middle of the 19th century, as a bridge recognized the lymphatic nature of the alleged glands. Although already in 1645 Marco Aurelio Severino had described these structures, they are known today in medicine as " Peyer plates ".

During this two-year period of creativity at the Medical School of Schaffhausen Peyer recognized the importance of anatomical thinking for the pathology. To expand his knowledge, Peyer traveled from 1677 to 1680 one of the strongholds of medical research. From Geneva, where he studied in 1677 by the Swiss physician Théophile Bonet ( 1620-1689 ), he went in the same year to Paris, where he worked closely with you to the Royal anatomist Joseph Verney ( 1648-1709 ) for two years and to him a friendly relationship developed. Peyer's stay in Paris coincided Verneys permission to the general section of the city's hospitals with you. In contrast to the mainly anatomical interests you Verneys interested Peyer especially the pathological- anatomical changes in the dissected corpses. Peyer wrote here his second publication, the Methodus Historiarum anatomico - medicarum ( 1678), a guide for dissection technique.

From a letter of Peyer at Muralt from May 1678 shows that he dealt even at that time in Paris with his studies of the ruminant and ruminating, which he later published in the form of Merycologia: "In my Mußezeit think and work I now back to around the ruminatio, a substance that is useful and not ungrateful if it also applies to trivial. "

After completing his education journey, which took him from Paris via Montpellier, Lyon, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Altdorf, Nuremberg and Augsburg, he spent another year in Schaffhausen, before he took off in Basel 1681 promotion. Shortly before he was admitted to the Academia Caesareo - Leopoldina, the Imperial Leopoldine Academy of Sciences under the nickname of " Pythagoras ". In the same year appeared Peyer's work Parerga Anatomica et medica septem, a compilation of his writings and some others. 1683 finally broke a bitter dispute between Peyer and his former friend, Dr. Johann Konrad Brunner, among other things, the similarity or dissimilarity of the structures described by them, but was notably out of both sides of Peyer's side, with such venom that the disputants had to be reminded even by scientific side of moderation.

Besides his work as a general practitioner in Schaffhausen Peyer led by many scientific studies. 1685 appeared the Merycologia, his most extensive work that has long been the standard work on comparative anatomy and physiology of the ruminant stomach and of rumination was formed. Peyer 1690 became professor of eloquence at Schaffhauserplatz school. In the same year his literary activity ceased completely on. By accepting this point Peyer hoped likely even to be able to succeed Wepfers as city physician, but was passed over after his death in 1695. This bitter disappointment caused him to resign his offices at the Collegium humanitatis. He could be persuaded to resume his activities yet again.

In January 1706, died Peyer's wife, Ursula Ziegler. From this marriage eleven children were born. In March 1706 Peyer suffered a stroke, which began six years of suffering. Half side paralyzed and handicapped by language disorders followed by five further attacks until he finally died on 29 February 1712. After Brunner's appointment to the University of Heidelberg in 1685 and Wepfers death in 1695 left her with Peyer 1712, the last of the former researchers trio Schaffhausen, which for half a century, this town on the Rhine Falls in the " helped the realm of medicine and natural science to European glory. "