Anton Ghon was an Austrian pathologist who was a native of Villach

Villach

Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...

. In 1890 he earned his medical degree in Graz

University of Graz

The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....

, and afterwards spent several years at the pathological institute in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, where he worked with Anton Weichselbaum

Anton Weichselbaum

Anton Weichselbaum was an Austrian pathologist and bacteriologist who was a native of Schiltern....

 (1845-1920). In 1910 he became a professor of pathological anatomy

Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

 at the German University in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

.

Ghon was a specialist in the field of bacteriology

Bacteriology

Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...

, and is remembered for his work with meningitis

Meningitis

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...

 and tuberculosis

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

. His name his lent to Ghon focus

Ghon focus

A Ghon focus is a primary lesion caused by mycobacterium bacilli developed in the lung of a previously uninfected individual. It is named for Anton Ghon , an Austrian pathologist....

, which is a primary infection

Infection

An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...

 associated with tuberculosis, as well as Ghon's complex

Ghon's complex

Ghon's complex is a lesion seen in the lung that is caused by tuberculosis. The lesions consist of a calcified focus of infection and an associated lymph node...

, when the aforementioned infection involves surrounding lymph node

Lymph node

A lymph node is a small ball or an oval-shaped organ of the immune system, distributed widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach/gut and linked by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are garrisons of B, T, and other immune cells. Lymph nodes are found all through the body, and act as...

s. His best known written work is a 1912 treatise of childhood tuberculosis called Der primäre Lungenherd bei der Tuberkulose der Kinder.

• Publications about Anton Ghon:
• Ghon, but not forgotten, (Anton Ghon and his complex); WB Ober (1983).