Kussmaul

Kussmaul Adolf (Ad. Kussmaul, 1822-1902), a renowned German clinician. He studied in Heidelberg under Naegele and Pfeufer (F. Naegele, K. Pfeufer). From 1850 he engaged in practical work, but then had to abandon it due to disease, moved to Würzburg, then to Heidelberg where he became a professor, and from there to Erlangen, Freiburg and Strasbourg (1876). In the field of clinical medicine, K. made an outstanding name for himself by introducing the stomach pump, which was later replaced by a tube. This was first published in the work "Über die Behandlung der Magenerweiterung durch eine neue Methode mittels der Magenpumpe" (Freiburg in Br., 1869; Lpz., 1912). K.'s research on progressive bulbar paralysis and its relation to progressive muscular atrophy, on acute anterior poliomyelitis, and especially on speech disorders was of great significance [published in 1877-81 in the private pathology and therapy of Ziemssen (H. Ziemssen) and was issued separately several times ("Störungen der Sprache", 4th ed., Lpz., 1904)]. Here K. described various forms of alexia, aphasia, laloneurosis, choreatic paraphasia, and word-finding difficulty. From the field of nervous system diseases, the description of peristaltic restlessness and the so-called tormina ventriculi nervosa is associated with his name. The name K. is borne by: the so-called large breathing in diabetes, expectoration of sputum with full mouth, and two signs: 1) engorgement of the jugular veins and paradoxical pulse, weakening or disappearing on deep inspiration in cases of adhesive mediastinopericarditis and mediastinal tumor, and 2) convulsions and coma in intestinal self-poisoning. Together with Maier (R. Maier), Kussmaul described periarteritis nodosa ["Über eine bisher nicht beschriebene eigenthümliche Arterienerkrankung (Periarteriitis nodosa), die mit morbus Brightii und rapid fortschreitender allgemeiner Muskellähmung einhergeht", Deutsches Arch. f. klinische Med., Band I, 1866]. His "Jugenderinnerungen eines alten Arztes" (Stuttgart, 1899), which went through many editions, was widely known. No less famous were his "Untersuchungen über das Seelenleben des neugeborenen Menschen" (Lpz., 1859; 3rd ed., Tübingen, 1896).