Anton Weichselbaum - Biography

Anton Weichselbaum (8 February 1845, Schiltern – 23 October 1920) was an Austrian pathologist and bacteriologist who was a native of Schiltern.

He received his medical doctorate in 1869 in Vienna, and subsequently became an assistant to pathological anatomist Josef Engel (1816—1899). From 1893 until 1916, Weichselbaum was director of the pathological-anatomical institute at the University of Vienna. Some of his better known assistants were serologist Karl Landsteiner (1868—1943), bacteriologist Anton Ghon (1866—1936) and dermatologist Josef Kyrle (1880—1926).

Weichselbaum is remembered for his contributions made in the field of bacteriology, and in 1887 was the first to isolate the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis, which he called Diplococcus intracellularis meningitidis. He is also credited with providing the first comprehensive description of local bone erosion in arthritis. Weichselbaum did important research involving tuberculosis, and founded the first Lungenheilstätte (pulmonary health institute) in Austria (Alland, Niederösterreich).

Written works

Among his written works is Grundriss der pathologischen Histologie (1892), which was later translated into English and published as "The Elements of Pathological Histology". Other noted works by Weichselbaum are the following:

• Über Entstehung und Bekämpfung der Tuberkulose, 1896
• Parasitologie, 1899
• Epidemiologie, 1899
• Über die Infektionswege der menschlichen Tuberkulose, 1907
• Über die Beziehungen zwischen Körperkonstitution und Krankheit, 1912

• [1] biographical information @ AEIOU Encyclopedia