Nathan Weiss was an Austrian physician and neurologist

Neurologist

A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...

 born in Gross-Meseritsch (today known as Velké Meziříčí

Velké Mezirící

Velké Meziříčí is a town in the Vysočina Region, Czech Republic. It is situated under the original Gothic castle in a valley framed by the hills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands....

, Czech Republic).

He studied medicine 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...

, earning his doctorate in 1874. He worked as secondary physician at the Allgemeines Krankenhaus in Vienna, and in 1879 became habilitated for internal medicine

Internal medicine

Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...

.

Weiss is remembered for pioneer systematic research of the spinal marrow

Bone marrow

Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...

, medulla oblongata

Medulla oblongata

The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem. In discussions of neurology and similar contexts where no ambiguity will result, it is often referred to as simply the medulla...

 and basal ganglia

Basal ganglia

The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and are strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and other brain areas...

, and in 1881 showed a causal relationship between tetany

Tetany (medical sign)

Tetany is a medical sign consisting of the involuntary contraction of muscles, which may be caused by disease or other conditions that increase the action potential frequency...

 and the removal of goitre

Goitre

A goitre or goiter , is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx...

. The eponymous "Weiss' sign" is named after him, which today is usually referred to as "Chvostek's sign". Among his written works is a treatise on tetany (Über Tetanie) that is included in Richard von Volkmann

Richard von Volkmann

Richard von Volkmann , was a prominent German surgeon and poet.He was born in Leipzig in 1830, the son of A.W. Volkmann. Richard entered medical school in Berlin and graduated in 1854...

's Sammlung klinischer Vorträge.

A friend of Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...

, Weiss committed suicide on September 13, 1883 at the age of 32, shortly after returning from his honeymoon. A few months prior to his death, he was appointed head of the outpatient clinic for nervous diseases at Vienna General Hospital.