Erik Adolf von Willebrand
Encyclopedia
Erik Adolf von Willebrand (born 1 February 1870 in Vaasa
- died 12 September 1949 in Pernaja) was an internist from Finland
.
The son of a district engineer in Vaasa, von Willebrand got his medical degree in the University of Helsinki
. He graduated in 1896, and did his doctoral thesis on the changes that occurred in blood following significant blood loss. For the remainder of his professional career, the properties of blood and its coagulation continued to be the focus of his interest.
Von Willebrand was the first to describe the blood coagulation disorder later named for him, von Willebrand disease
. The condition first aroused his interest in the case of a 5-year-old girl from Åland with an extensive history of bleeding in her family. Mapping her family history, von Willebrand found 23 of the girl's 66 family members were affected, and that the disease was more common in women.
In his personal life, von Willebrand was described as a very modest man. He also published two papers concerning the use of hot air (such as the sauna
) as a form of medical treatment.
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
- died 12 September 1949 in Pernaja) was an internist from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
The son of a district engineer in Vaasa, von Willebrand got his medical degree in the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
. He graduated in 1896, and did his doctoral thesis on the changes that occurred in blood following significant blood loss. For the remainder of his professional career, the properties of blood and its coagulation continued to be the focus of his interest.
Von Willebrand was the first to describe the blood coagulation disorder later named for him, von Willebrand disease
Von Willebrand disease
von Willebrand disease is the most common hereditary coagulation abnormality described in humans, although it can also be acquired as a result of other medical conditions. It arises from a qualitative or quantitative deficiency of von Willebrand factor , a multimeric protein that is required for...
. The condition first aroused his interest in the case of a 5-year-old girl from Åland with an extensive history of bleeding in her family. Mapping her family history, von Willebrand found 23 of the girl's 66 family members were affected, and that the disease was more common in women.
In his personal life, von Willebrand was described as a very modest man. He also published two papers concerning the use of hot air (such as the sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
) as a form of medical treatment.