Samuel Thomas von Sömmering
Encyclopedia
Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring (28 January 1755 – 2 March 1830) was a German
physician
, anatomist, anthropologist, paleontologist and inventor. Sömmerring discovered the macula
in the retina
of the human eye
. His investigations on the brain
and the nervous system
, on the sensory organs, on the embryo
and its malformations, on the structure of the lung
s, etc., made him one of the most important German anatomists.
, Polish
Royal Prussia
, as the ninth child of the physician Johann Thomas Sömmerring. In 1774 he completed his education in Thorn and began to study medicine
at the University of Göttingen. He visited Petrus Camper
lecturing at the University in Franeker
. He became a professor of anatomy at the Collegium Carolinum in Kassel
and, beginning in 1784, at the University of Mainz. There he was for five years the dean of the medical faculty. In 1795 Sömmerring opened up a practice in Frankfurt. As one of his many important enterprises, Sömmerring introduced against many resistances the vaccination
against smallpox
and became one of the first members of the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft and was nominated as counselor. He received offers of employment by the University of Jena and the University of St. Petersburg, but accepted in 1804 an invitation from the Academy of Science of Bavaria, in Munich
. In this city, he became counselor to the court and was led into the Bavarian nobility.
When Sömmerring was 23 years old he described the organization of the cranial nerves
as part of this doctoral work: its study is valid until today. He published many writings in the fields of medicine, anatomy and neuroanatomy
, anthropology, paleontology, astronomy and philosophy. Among other things he wrote about fossil crocodile
s and in 1812 he described Ornithocephalus antiquus now known as Pterodactylus
. He was also the first to accurately draw a representation of the female skeleton structure.
In addition, Sömmerring was a very creative inventor, having designed a telescope
for astronomical observations and an electrical telegraph
in 1809. He worked on the refinement of wine
s, sunspots and many diverse other things. In 1811 he developed the first telegraphic system in Bavaria, which is housed today in the German Museum of Science
in Munich. In 1823, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
Sömmering was married to Margarethe Elizabeth Grunelius (deceased 1802), and had a son, Dietmar William, and a daughter, Susanne Katharina. Due to bad weather, Sömmering left Munich in 1820 and returned to Frankfurt
, where he died in 1830. He is buried at the city's main cemetery.
The exchange of letters between Sömmering and Georg Forster
was published by Hettner (Braunschweig, 1878)eben.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, anatomist, anthropologist, paleontologist and inventor. Sömmerring discovered the macula
Macula
The macula or macula lutea is an oval-shaped highly pigmented yellow spot near the center of the retina of the human eye. It has a diameter of around 5 mm and is often histologically defined as having two or more layers of ganglion cells...
in the retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
of the human eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
. His investigations on the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
and the nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
, on the sensory organs, on the embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
and its malformations, on the structure of the lung
Human lung
The human lungs are the organs of respiration in humans. Humans have two lungs, with the left being divided into two lobes and the right into three lobes. Together, the lungs contain approximately of airways and 300 to 500 million alveoli, having a total surface area of about in...
s, etc., made him one of the most important German anatomists.
Career
Sömmerring was born in Thorn (Toruń)Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, Polish
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia was a Region of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Polish Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land , Malbork Voivodeship , Gdańsk , Toruń , and Elbląg . It is distinguished from Ducal Prussia...
, as the ninth child of the physician Johann Thomas Sömmerring. In 1774 he completed his education in Thorn and began to study medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the University of Göttingen. He visited Petrus Camper
Petrus Camper
Peter, Pieter, or usually Petrus Camper was a Dutch physician, anatomist, physiologist, midwife, zoologist, anthropologist, paleontologist and a naturalist. He studied the orangutan, the rhinoceros, the skull of a whale...
lecturing at the University in Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
. He became a professor of anatomy at the Collegium Carolinum in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and, beginning in 1784, at the University of Mainz. There he was for five years the dean of the medical faculty. In 1795 Sömmerring opened up a practice in Frankfurt. As one of his many important enterprises, Sömmerring introduced against many resistances the vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
against smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and became one of the first members of the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft and was nominated as counselor. He received offers of employment by the University of Jena and the University of St. Petersburg, but accepted in 1804 an invitation from the Academy of Science of Bavaria, 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...
. In this city, he became counselor to the court and was led into the Bavarian nobility.
When Sömmerring was 23 years old he described the organization of the cranial nerves
Cranial nerves
Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge directly from the brain, in contrast to spinal nerves, which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. In humans, there are traditionally twelve pairs of cranial nerves...
as part of this doctoral work: its study is valid until today. He published many writings in the fields of medicine, anatomy and neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy is the study of the anatomy and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defined nervous systems, and thus we can begin to speak of...
, anthropology, paleontology, astronomy and philosophy. Among other things he wrote about fossil crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s and in 1812 he described Ornithocephalus antiquus now known as Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus is a genus of pterosaurs, whose members are popularly known as pterodactyls. It was the first to be named and identified as a flying reptile...
. He was also the first to accurately draw a representation of the female skeleton structure.
In addition, Sömmerring was a very creative inventor, having designed a telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
for astronomical observations and an electrical telegraph
Electrical telegraph
An electrical telegraph is a telegraph that uses electrical signals, usually conveyed via telecommunication lines or radio. The electromagnetic telegraph is a device for human-to-human transmission of coded text messages....
in 1809. He worked on the refinement of wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s, sunspots and many diverse other things. In 1811 he developed the first telegraphic system in Bavaria, which is housed today in the German Museum of Science
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
in Munich. In 1823, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
.
Sömmering was married to Margarethe Elizabeth Grunelius (deceased 1802), and had a son, Dietmar William, and a daughter, Susanne Katharina. Due to bad weather, Sömmering left Munich in 1820 and returned to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, where he died in 1830. He is buried at the city's main cemetery.
Works
- Über die körperliche Verschiedenheit des Mohren vom Europär (1774)
- Vom Hirn- und Rückenmark (Mainz 1788, 2. Aufl. 1792);
- Vom Bau des menschlichen Körpers (Frankfurt am Main 1791-96, 6 Bde.; 2. Aufl. 1800; neue Aufl. von Bischoff, Henle u. a., Leipzig 1839-45, 8 Bde.);
- De corporis humani fabrica (Frankfurt am Main 1794-1801, 6 Bde.);
- De morbis vasorum absorbentium corporis humani (Frankfurt am Main 1795);
- Tabula sceleti feminini (Frankfurt am Main 1798);
- Abbildungen des menschlichen Auges (Frankfurt am Main 1801),
- Abbildungen des menschlichen Hörorgans (Frankfurt am Main 1806),
- Abbindungen des menschlichen Organs des Geschmacks und der Stimme (Frankfurt am Main 1806),
- Abbildungen der menschlichen Organe des Geruchs (1809).
The exchange of letters between Sömmering and Georg Forster
Georg Forster
Johann Georg Adam Forster was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific...
was published by Hettner (Braunschweig, 1878)eben.