Biography

He was born in Sondershausen

Sondershausen

Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen....

 on April 25, 1820. He died in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 on November 1, 1896. He was educated at the universities of Halle and Berlin, graduating as doctor of medicine

Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

 in 1845. After a postgraduate course at the universities of 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...

, Würzburg

Würzburg

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

, and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 he settled in Berlin, where he practised as a specialist first in otology

Otology

Otology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....

, and later in dermatology and syphilis

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...

. In 1862 Lewin was admitted to the medical faculty of his alma mater as privat-docent in otology. In 1865 he became chief physician in the department of dermatology and syphilis at the Charité Hospital, and in 1868 was appointed assistant professor.

In 1880 Lewin became a member of the imperial department of health, and in 1884 received the title of "Geheimer Medicinalrat." In the same year, through the influence of Otto von Bismarck

Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...

, Lewin's clinic was divided into two departments, Lewin retaining the class in syphilis, while Ernst Schweninger

Ernst Schweninger

Ernst Schweninger was a German physician who developed the Schweninger method, a reduction of obesity by the restriction of fluids in the diet.-Biography:...

, Bismarck's physician, was appointed chief physician for dermatology. This action of the government aroused much indignation in the medical faculties of most of the universities of Germany, and much public sympathy was expressed for Lewin.

Lewin was very successful in his profession. He introduced several new methods in the treatment of syphilis and in dermatology, among which may be mentioned the subcutaneous injection of mercuric chloride and the spray application in diseases of the throat. His mercury sublimate injections for the treatment of syphilis were to be administered daily. Carriage horses delivered the costly therapy, and were referred to as "Sublimatsschimmel" [sublimate greys].

Publications

He was an industrious writer, and contributed many essays to the medical journals:

• "Klinik der Krankheiten des Kehlkopfes," 2d ed., Berlin, 1863;
• "Inhalationstherapie und Krankheiten der Respirationsorgane," 2d ed., ib. 1865;
• "Behandlung der Syphilis Durch Subcutane Sublimatinjectionen," ib. 1869.