Gustav Zander

ZANDER, Gustav (1835–1920), the founder of medical mechanotherapy. While still a medical student, he directed gymnastics lessons in a private school and drew attention to the fatiguing nature and difficulty of dosing exercises according to the Swedish Ling system prevailing at that time (see Gymnastics). Group classes involving dual movements had to be structured in such a way that the students themselves mutually resisted one another, alternately acting as active performers or live brakes for the movements. The instructor was deprived of the opportunity for individual control. Zander then constructed simple apparatuses for the first time that mechanically performed this role. After graduating from the university, Zander founded the first "medico-mechanical institute" in 1865. The equipment consisted of 27 different apparatuses for active-passive exercises of the limbs and trunk. The design idea consisted in utilizing the lever principle. Such mechanotherapy (see) yielded the greatest effect with the least expenditure. Many patients could exercise simultaneously, each receiving a precise prescription of how many movements to perform on which machines. The number of apparatuses continually grew and their design was perfected. In 1910, the Zander Institute possessed 72 types of gymnastic machines, driven partly by hand and partly by electric motors. Zander's measuring instruments and the results he achieved in the treatment of scoliosis still deserve attention today. Among the various massage apparatuses, Zander was the first to construct vibrational ones. Zander's medico-mechanical system enjoyed tremendous success, mainly in the treatment of metabolic diseases and for the restoration of joint and muscle functions following traumatic injuries. His apparatuses were exported to all countries, awarded gold medals at numerous exhibitions, and manufactured monopolistically. Zander's personal merits were recognized by his appointment in Sweden as an honorary Doctor of Medicine, docent of gymnastics, and member of the Academy of Sciences. His disciples founded the International Association of Medical Mechanotherapists. At the present time, Zander's system is technically obsolete, but the principle of mechanotherapy, precisely dosed and acting physiologically, will remain associated with the creative work of Zander.