Richard von Volkmann

Richard von Volkmann

Richard von Volkmann (1830 - 1889) Distinguished German surgeon and writer of poems and fairy tales. He was the son of one of the most distinguished physiologists of the time, Alfred Volkmann. Richard von Volkmann was responsible to a large degree for the introduction of Lister's aseptic surgical techniques in Germany. He was one of the most sought after surgeons of his time, consulted widely in Germany and elsewhere. Volkmann was also the first to surgically treat the carcinoma of the rectum by excision. His efforts at treating tuberculosis of bones and joints through diet, cod liver oil and iodine, heralded attempts at preventive surgery. The ischemic contracture which bears his name, Volkmann's Ischemic Contracture was first described by him in a famous paper. The contracture is a result of arterial obstruction, observed mainly in children in the forearm and hand, resulting in a claw deformity, mainly as a result of fracture at the elbow or improper application of tourniquet or plaster, causing ishcemia and necrosis of affected muscle tissue. As a doctor, he was known as someone who would go anywhere and do anything to save a patient, and was widely admired. Volkmann was also an excellent writer of poems and fairy tales, and his book Dreams by the French Fireside is considered a classic of German Literature.