Carl Arnold Kortum was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 physician, but best known for his writing and poetry.

Born in Mülheim

Mülheim

Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...

, Kortum studied medicine and was from 1771 physician in Bochum

Bochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

, where he died in 1824.

Kortum wrote several somewhat popular medical works, but also wrote a number of other less profitable works on various subjects, ranging from beekeeping

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...

 to antiquarian

Antiquarian

An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...

 topics to alchemy

Alchemy

Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...

. However, he is most well known for his satirical epic poem, Life, Opinions, and Deeds of Hieronymus Jobs the Candidate (Leben, Meinungen und Thaten von Hieronymus Jobs dem Kandidaten), first published anonymously in 1784 and also known as The Jobsiade. He also published a number of other satirical works, but none enjoyed the same level of popularity.

Selected works

• The Martyrs of Fashion (Die Märtyrer der Mode, 1778)
• Life, Opinions, and Deeds of Hieronymus Jobs the Candidate (Leben, Meinungen und Thaten von Hieronymus Jobs dem Kandidaten, 1784), also known as The Jobsiade (Der Jobsiade)
• The Magic Lantern (Die magische Laterne, 1784–86)
• Adams Hochzeitsfeier (1788)
• Defense of Alchemy (Verteidigung der Alchemie, 1789)