Johann Georg Wirsung
Encyclopedia
Johann Georg Wirsung was a German anatomist who was a long-time Prosector
in Padua
.
He is remembered for the discovery of the pancreatic duct
(also duct of Wirsung) during the dissection
of a man who had been recently hanged for murder. Instead of publishing his discovery, Wirsung engraved a sketch of the duct on a copper plate, from which he made several imprints, and had them delivered to leading anatomists throughout Europe.
Wirsung was murdered in 1643 by Giacomo Cambier, reportedly the result of an argument as to who was the discoverer of the pancreatic duct. Five years after Wirsung's death, a former student of his, Moritz Hoffman (1622-1698) claimed that it was he, not Wirsung, who was the actual discoverer of the duct.
Prosector
A prosector is a person with the special task of preparing a dissection for demonstration, usually in medical schools or hospitals. Many important anatomists began their careers as prosectors working for lecturers and demonstrators in anatomy and pathology....
in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
.
He is remembered for the discovery of the pancreatic duct
Pancreatic duct
The pancreatic duct, or duct of Wirsung , is a duct joining the pancreas to the common bile duct to supply pancreatic juices which aid in digestion provided by the "exocrine pancreas"...
(also duct of Wirsung) during the dissection
Dissection
Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components....
of a man who had been recently hanged for murder. Instead of publishing his discovery, Wirsung engraved a sketch of the duct on a copper plate, from which he made several imprints, and had them delivered to leading anatomists throughout Europe.
Wirsung was murdered in 1643 by Giacomo Cambier, reportedly the result of an argument as to who was the discoverer of the pancreatic duct. Five years after Wirsung's death, a former student of his, Moritz Hoffman (1622-1698) claimed that it was he, not Wirsung, who was the actual discoverer of the duct.