Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1260

KARL ASMUND RUDOLPHI (1771-1832) Grundriss der Physiologie. Bei Ferdinand Dümmler 1821-1828 Vol. I: xiv, 297 [1] pp.; Vol. II: viii, 407 pp.; Vol. III: viii, 399 pp. 19.8 cm.

Rudolphi studied philosophy, the natural sciences, and medicine at Greifswald where he graduated in philosophy in 1793. A year later he received his medical degree with a dissertation on intestinal worms. After finishing a course at the Berlin Veterinary School in 1801, he returned to Greifswald as professor in the veterinary institute. In 1808 he became professor of medicine and two years later was named to the first joint chair of anatomy and physiology at the newly founded University of Berlin. He remained at Berlin for the rest of his career and became one of its most influential members. He did research in plant morphology and was a pioneer in helminthology which he helped establish as a branch of zoology. Rudolphi identified and described hundreds of new species of parasitic worms and also did important early work in comparative histology. He was opposed to vivisection and based much of his work on his studies in comparative anatomy in which he stressed relationships between structure and function. The present work had great influence even though Rudolphi had completed only two volumes at the time of his death. In it he took an anthropological view of physiology, placing emphasis on the differences between the great apes and man. He described the body systems clearly and gave concise accounts of their functions. He believed that the essential vital characteristic was excitability and rejected many of the more radical theories of life that were then being discussed.

Cited references: Waller 8296 (Vol. I-II only)