Paul Grawitz

Paul Albert Grawitz ( born October 1, 1850 in Zerrin, Pomerania, † June 27, 1932 in Greifswald) was a German physician and pathologist. His name is today connected with the description of Grawitzschen tumor ( renal cell carcinoma or RCC ).

Life

Grawitz was born in 1850 as the son of the landowner William and his wife Agnes Grawitz, nee Fischer, in Pomerania. He studied at the University of Halle medicine and moved in 1870 to the University of Berlin. He received his doctorate in 1873 with the work " Two rare tumor cases together with observations on the Contraktilität of tumor cells ."

After he was still a student at famulus Rudolf Virchow, Grawitz worked from 1875 to 1886 as an assistant to Virchow's pathological institute. Here he completed his habilitation in 1884 in pathology and pathological anatomy.

1886 Grawitz was appointed as associate professor at the University of Greifswald, where he received in 1887 as the successor of Friedrich Grohé the chair of pathological anatomy, a position he held until his retirement in 1921.

Here he expanded the collection begun by Grohé pathological specimens to a purpose-built museum in 1905. In 1909 he published a 700 -page museum guide, which also served as a guide for self-study of the pathological anatomy and as a textbook for students.

Grawitz was a popular high school teacher. The Prussian government appointed him to the Privy medical officer. Grawitz was 1896/97 President of the University and authored the 1906 commemorative of the Medical Faculty of the 450th anniversary of the university. He was twice chairman of the Medical Association of Greifswald, one of the oldest, still existing medical and scientific societies in German-speaking, and later as Virchow honorary member of the association.

Grawitz died in 1932 in Greifswald and was honored by Otto Lubarsch in an obituary as Nestor of German pathology. Grawitz was buried in an honorary grave in the old cemetery of Greifswald.

Work

The Grawitzsche tumor or " goiter Lipomatodes aberrata renis " ( renal cell carcinoma) associated with his name Grawitz described in 1883 in Berlin. He went then, however, assume that the tumor described by him from eingewandertem adrenal tissue would (hence the old name " hypernephroma ").

In his appeal to Greifswald Grawitz was considered the " most controversial, but at that time undoubtedly important researchers " in his field. Grawitz ' scientific interests were wide -ranging, but mostly associated with an inflammatory process. So he worked to mold and bred the first pure cultures of pathogenic fungi Trichophyton schoenleinii ( causative agent of favus, also " Erbgrind " ), Trichophyton tonsurans ( causative agent of tinea corporis gladiatorum, also " mat burns " or " Ringerflechte " ) or Malassezia furfur ( causative agent of Pityriasis versicolor).

Other fields were cardiac hypertrophy after nephritis, peritonitis, or the causation of inflammation by chemical substances. Here pointed Grawitz after that not only pathogens but also chemical substances can cause inflammation.

Grawitz ' » slumber cell theory " led his time to numerous controversies about a entzündungsstimulierte remodeling of connective tissue and elastic fibers in the intercellular space to leukocytes with nuclear and cellular substance and thus the development of cells of connective tissue. They did not last. However, even in the 1950s tried his grandson Paul Busse- Grawitz to support this theory.

Family

Grawitz ' younger brother was the hematologist Grawitz Ernst ( 1860-1911 ). From the marriage of Grawitz ' daughter Lotte with the pathologist Otto Busse (1867-1922) was born the grandson of Paul Busse- Grawitz (1900-1983), who was also working as a pathologist. Grawitz ' nephew was the later "Reich Physician SS " Ernst- Robert Grawitz ( 1899-1945 ).

Writings

• On the Origin of morbid growths. Reimer, Berlin 1884.
• Atlas of pathological histology. Schoetz, Berlin 1893
• History of Medicine Greifswald 1806-1906. Abel, Greifswald 1906 ( digitized ).
• Instructions for self study of pathological anatomy. Guide to the Museum of the pathological institute at Greifswald. Adler, Greifswald 1909.