Heinrich Quincke

Heinrich Quincke

Heinrich Irenaeus Quincke (1842 - 1922) German physician and surgeon, most famous for his introduction of lumbar puncture (also called Quincke's puncture) for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He is also remembered for his study on a wide variety of diseases such as angioedema (Quincke's edema), benign/idiopathic intracranial hypertention (which he called serous meningitis), Quincke's pulse (with redness and pallor under the fingernails, one of the signs of aortic insufficiency), and Quincke's position (supine position with the head lower than the feet). Although Quincke was primarily an internist, he retained an active interest in lung surgery throughout his life. His older brother was the physicist, Georg Hermann Quincke.