Otto Michael Ludwig Leichtenstern (October 14, 1845 – February 23, 1900) was a German internist born in Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt

Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...

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In 1869 he received his doctorate from the University of Munich, later working as an assistant of clinical medicine in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 under Karl von Pfeufer

Karl von Pfeufer

Karl von Pfeufer was a German physician who was a native of Bamberg. He studied at Erlangen and Würzburg, and afterwards became an assistant to Johann Lukas Schönlein...

 (1806–1869) and Joseph von Lindwurm

Joseph von Lindwurm

Joseph von Lindwurm was a German physician and dermatologist who was a native of Aschaffenburg. He studied medicine in Würzburg and Heidelberg, and afterwards furthered his studies in Dublin, Glasgow, Vienna and Paris...

 (1824–1874). After the death of Felix von Niemeyer

Felix von Niemeyer

Felix von Niemeyer was a German internist born in Magdeburg. He studied medicine at the University of Halle and in 1844 became a physician in Magdeburg. Later he was a professor of internal medicine at the University of Greifswald , and at the University of Tübingen...

 (1820–1871), he became interim head of the medical clinic in Tübingen

Tübingen

Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...

 prior to the appointment of Carl von Liebermeister

Carl von Liebermeister

Carl von Liebermeister was a German internist who was a native of Ronsdorf. In 1856 he received his medical degree from Greifswald, and in 1860 became an assistant to Felix von Niemeyer at the University of Tübingen. In 1864 he became a professor of pathology in Basel, and in 1871 succeeded Dr...

 (1833–1901) as Niemeyer's permanent replacement. Leichtenstern remained at the Tübingen clinic for several years, and from 1879 to 1900 was head physician of 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...

 at the city hospital in Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

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Leichtenstern is remembered for publishing articles on almost every facet of medicine. He did extensive research in the field of helminthology

Helminthology

Helminthology is the study of worms, especially parasitic worms. This field deals with the study of their taxonomy and the effect on their hosts....

, including studies of hookworm

Hookworm

The hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...

 (ankylostoma duodenale), and was the first to demonstrate that humans can be infected by hookworm if the larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e are ingested orally. In 1898 he suspected that the compound 2-naphthylamine

2-Naphthylamine

2-Naphthylamine is an aromatic amine. It is used to make azo dyes. It is a known human carcinogen and has largely been replaced by less toxic compounds. 2-Naphthylamine is prepared by heating 2-naphthol with ammonium zinc chloride to 200-210 °C; or in the form of its acetyl derivative by heating...

 (2-NA) was involved in human bladder

Bladder

Bladder usually refers to an anatomical hollow organBladder may also refer to:-Biology:* Urinary bladder in humans** Urinary bladder ** Bladder control; see Urinary incontinence** Artificial urinary bladder, in humans...

 tumorigenesis.
With Adolph Strümpell

Adolph Strümpell

Ernst Adolf Gustav Gottfried von Strümpell was a German neurologist who was born at Neu-Autz Estate, Courland Governorate...

 (1853–1925), the eponymous "Strümpell-Leichtenstern encephalitis" is named, which is also known as acute hemorrhagic encephalitis

Encephalitis

Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...

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