Karl Ludwig can be safely called a significant figure in medical science. On the account of the German scientist there are a lot of research and discoveries in the physiology of urination, blood circulation and the cardiovascular system of animals and humans.
Biography: early years
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig was born on December 29, 1816 in the small town of Witzenhausen, in central Germany. From childhood, he began to show interest in the natural sciences. After successfully graduating from high school, he continued his studies in the city of Marburg, where he became a student in the medical faculty. Two years later, Karl transferred to the University of Erlangen. And two years later he returned to Marburg and soon became a doctor of medicine.
After receiving a degree, Karl Ludwig continued his research activities within the walls of the alma mater. At university, he spent the lion's share of time. We can safely say that he became his second home. Over the next ten years, Karl literally slept and slept within its walls.
In 1841, he became the second prospector of the Anatomical Institute, which was located at the University of Marburg. His duties included helping the professor of anatomy with autopsy. He got to this place on the recommendation of Franz Fick, who by that time was already a famous German anatomist. Soon, Fick took the helm of the University of Marburg and made Karl Ludwig the first prospector. This allowed the young scientist to independently prioritize his research activities. And along with the anatomy, Karl Ludwig began to conduct research in the field of physiology. He was able to make several discoveries in this direction. So, in 1842, a scientist wrote and defended a dissertation on the physical forces that affect urination.
In the same year he was approved as an assistant professor of physiology. It took Karl Ludwig four years to become an extraordinary professor of comparative anatomy.
In 1847, he taught at the University of Berlin. In 1849, Karl Ludwig moved to Zurich, where he began to conduct research at a local university as a professor of anatomy and physiology. However, life in this Austrian city did not appeal to the scientist.
Six years later, he was invited to teach at the Vienna Small Military Medical and Surgical Academy. Carl Ludwig accepted the invitation without hesitation. In Vienna, he worked for 10 years, after which he moved to Leipzig. Within the walls of the main university of Germany at that time, Karl Ludwig continued his scientific activities. He moved to Leipzig not by chance. He was chosen as the successor to the famous German anatomist and physiologist Ernst-Heinrich Weber, who by that time could no longer fully engage in science. At the University of Leipzig, Karl Ludwig was already occupied only with his beloved physiology. She devoted an entire department to her. He worked on it until the end of his days.
However, one department was not enough for Karl Ludwig, since he plunged into science with his head and conducted fairly large-scale research. Thanks to him, the Institute of Physiology appeared at the University of Leipzig. Karl Ludwig led it for 30 years. The institute was second to none in Europe. He became the largest in his profile, "Mecca" for physiologists of all countries.
The building had a well-thought-out architecture. If you look at it from above, you can clearly see the shape in the form of the letter "E". The main one was the physiological department, and the “side” ones were chemical, histological and laboratory. The institute also had a roomy room for lectures, an operating room, a sterilization room, and a vivarium. On the top floor there were rooms for employees. Within its walls, such Russian scientists as a military surgeon Nikolai Pirogov, physiologists Ivan Sechenov and Ivan Pavlov passed an internship. The latter were students of Karl Ludwig himself.
Contribution to Science
Karl Ludwig has been in science for more than half a century. In his research, he was accurate and scrupulous. At the same time, he categorically did not allow aimless torment of experimental animals. For more than two decades he led the Society for the Protection of Animals in Leipzig.
He was interested in all areas of physiology. However, he focused on blood circulation, digestion, respiration, and urination.
Since 1846, Karl Ludwig developed a kimograph - a device for measuring blood pressure. In essence, it was an advanced mercury manometer. The kimograph graphically designed and recorded the pressure results under different conditions. With his help, he recorded the blood pressure curve for the first time in the world. This invention in the development of physiology is compared with the advent of typography for the progress of civilization.
On the account of Karl Ludwig, the invention of another physiological device important for that time. He designed the so-called Ludwig watches. This device allows you to measure blood circulation.
Karl Ludwig made many discoveries. So, he explained the key processes in the metabolism of respiratory gases, studied the formation and movement of lymph, opened the medullary vasomotor center, proved the presence of specific secretory nerves in the salivary glands and their influence on the process of saliva separation.
