Georg Joseph Beer

Georg Joseph Beer ( born December 23, 1763 in Vienna, † April 11, 1821 in Vienna ) was a Viennese physician.

Georg Joseph Beer, laid the foundations of the science-based ophthalmology. He founded in 1813 in Vienna, the first university eye clinic.

Curriculum vitae

Georg Joseph Beer was born in Vienna. His father was manager of the Queen monastery at Vienna Joseph place, and he bound his son early on a clerical career. However, on the scientific and artistic inclinations prevailed, and he started as a draftsman and anatomical demonstrator for the ophthalmologist and anatomist Joseph Barth (1745-1818) to work. Barth refused the pressing in ophthalmology Beer any ophthalmic training. Beer fell out after seven years of service with Barth and finally began in 1782 in Vienna to study medicine, which he successfully completed in three years full of material need.

1786, he received his doctorate and opened an ophthalmological practice in which he used two rooms for the free in-patient treatment of destitute patients and those of catered also from his bag in his apartment. Even though he now had no more financial worries, so he had to survive in the years to severe hostility from Barth and his pupil Johann Adam Schmidt ( 1759-1809 ). Beer in turn often practiced on condescending way criticism of his colleagues and had hardly anyone unscathed. Exceptions were only the relatively few scientists recognized and admired by him.

His commentary on the book " Monograph of gray cataract " of his former pupil Traugott Wilhelm Benedict (1785-1862), from 1812 professor of surgery and ophthalmology in Wroclaw, close berry 1815 with the words: "Verily! Generated a year of education one such freak of pupils, one would soon be more than enough to teach. " At his publishers he had nothing good, so this went from plant to plant, and even he criticized the clergy with sharp words.

Despite all the obstacles Beer eventually managed to prove himself as an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic as teachers; his reputation grew and in 1802 he was able to habilitation as Privatdozent. By 1803 he had already informed the 289 physicians in the context of " private lessons about ophthalmology ". 1806 began the State Government Beers charitable use for the treatment of poor reward; his practice, he had entertained for 20 years from its own funds, was converted into an ophthalmological clinic. Beer got a salary and working now the way as the official " city poor eye doctor ."

His biggest goal, the elimination of ophthalmology from surgery for independent art, proved to be a very difficult and lengthy process, the powerful opponents sought to prevent. To build Repeated proposals and written requests Beers, a chair and a Department of Ophthalmology, the government finally failed for years until 1812 Beer associate professor of ophthalmology made ​​and an eye clinic approved that on January 19, 1813 with two rooms, each with eight beds their operation resumed. Beer Here now worked together with his assistant and son of Friedrich Jäger Jaxtthal and made the clinic, which is the first university eye clinic to see at all, the " mother site of European ophthalmology ".

Many large ophthalmologists of the 19th century spent here a part of their training. The culmination of his persistent efforts was finally full professor Beers 1818 He had now achieved everything. From his teaching post an Ordinariate had become, ophthalmology was a medical compulsory subject and has been read as a five hour course over two semesters. The great fame Beers in the medical world was based on his teaching and its widespread textbooks of ophthalmology. He joined teaching, research and practice on a hitherto unusual way and his courses and lectures attracted students and surgeons and ophthalmologists who wanted to improve their skills, from all over Europe and even from the new world to Vienna.

By a stroke with hemiplegia Beer in 1819 incapacitated.

Scientific work

Beer wrote in 1791 his " Practical Observations on different, but especially those eye diseases which arise from general diseases of the body " that reflects his romantic tendency already becoming clear need for " wholeness ". But this book was just like his " Doctrine of the Eye Diseases " of 1792 judged bad, because they were partly copied from the works of the surgery professor August Gottlieb Richter ( 1742-1812 ). Beer mentioned his early works and later also not a word more.

His major work " doctrine of Eye Diseases ", published in two volumes in 1813 and 1817, this was met even more praise. It spawned the emerging science of ophthalmology of the 19th century. The work contains elements of natural philosophy and the Brownianism, but always based on the clinical- empirical intuition of the Viennese School. Beer was Brownianer, which can be detected in the theoretical concepts of his work and its therapeutic line dominated. But the new natural philosophical doctrine, the "romantic" flow, with the power from 1803 also urged the Universities of Vienna, and until about 1830, the medical doctrine dominated in Vienna, Beer could not escape completely. Little recognition found the bibliographic and medical historical works Beers.

Among his surgical achievements has been his commitment to the intracapsular cataract extraction, a further development of the cataract surgery. Precursor he was also with the development of iridectomy for artificial pupil education, which was later adopted by Albrecht von Graefe and Louis -Auguste Desmarres ( 1810-1882 ).