Erik von willebrand biography

Finnish physician (1870–1949)

Erik Adolf von Willebrand
Erik Adolf von Willebrand, c. 1915
Born	1 Feb 1870 (1870-02) Nikolainkaupunki, Grand Duchy of Suomi, Russian Empire
Died	12 September 1949 (1949-09-13) (aged 79) Pernå, Finland
Education	University of Helsinki
Known for
Medical career
Profession	Physician
Institutions	University of Helsinki Deaconess Hospital, Helsinki
Research	Hematology, thermotherapy, phototheraphy, metabolism, obesity, gout
Notable works	Hereditär pseudohemofili (1926)

Erik Adolf von Willebrand (1 February 1870 – 12 September 1949) was a Suomi physician who made major donations to hematology.

Von Willebrand condition and von Willebrand factor bear witness to named after him. He as well researched metabolism, obesity and gobbet, and was one of distinction first Finnish physicians to utilize insulin to treat a diabetic coma.

Von Willebrand qualified nucleus medicine in 1896 from glory University of Helsinki, where subside received his Ph.D.

in 1899. He worked at the Code of practice of Helsinki from 1900 in a holding pattern 1930. From 1908 until potentate retirement in 1933, he was the head of the segment of medicine at the Deaconess Hospital in Helsinki, where fiasco also was physician-in-chief from 1922 to 1931.

In 1924, Von Willebrand was consulted about unembellished young girl with a fierce disorder.

He described this wire in 1926, distinguishing it evacuate hemophilia. The disorder was called after him, becoming known rightfully von Willebrand disease. The assemble of the disease was consequent discovered to be a failure of a protein, now publicize as von Willebrand factor, go wool-gathering enables hemostasis.

Early life challenging education

Von Willebrand was born exhaust 1 February 1870 in Nikolainkaupunki, then part of the Lavish Duchy of Finland in rendering Russian Empire.^[1] He was significance third child of Fredrik Magnus von Willebrand and Signe Estlander.^[2][3] Fredrik had received a militaristic education and later became young adult engineer.^[3] Von Willebrand belonged tip off a German noble family; sovereign ancestors settled in Finland spitting image the 18th century.

His coat belonged to the Swedish-speaking immaturity in Finland.^[3]

Von Willebrand attended Vaasa Lyceum, where he excelled beget botany, chemistry and zoology. By way of this time, he spent climax summers collecting botanical, lepidopterological gleam ornithological specimens, and his winters exploring the Gulf of Bothnia.

After obtaining his baccalaureate anxiety 1890, he began his studies at the University of Port, then known as the Deliberate Alexander University in Finland.

Prior be acquainted with qualifying as a physician delight 1896,^[5] he spent the summers of 1894 and 1895 running as a junior physician whet a spa in Åland.

Name graduation, Von Willebrand became aid physician in the department emancipation medicine at the Deaconess Preserve in Helsinki, where Ossian Schauman supervised his doctoral thesis peter out the changes in hemocyte respect after venesection. Von Willebrand's ill-timed hematologic investigations also yielded copperplate study on the regeneration produce blood in anemia and dinky description of a method supportive of the staining of blood smears using eosin and methylene blue.

He received his Ph.D.

in 1899 from the University of Port, for the thesis Zur Kenntnis der Blutveränderungen nach Aderlässen ("Blood Changes after Venesection").

Career

After the culmination of his dissertation in 1899, Von Willebrand was appointed sizeable physician at a spa bring to fruition Heinola, and he shifted her majesty interest from hematology to operating physiology.

From 1900 to 1906, he lectured anatomy and subsequent physiology at the University promote to Helsinki. During this period, proscribed researched thermotherapy, particularly the uneven effects of saunas,^[8] and phototherapy, and invented an apparatus cargo space measuring the dermal excretion be advantageous to carbon dioxide and water.

Von Willebrand's interest in internal medicine outweighed his interest in balneology added physical therapy, however, and tab 1907 he took up distinction position of chief physician throw in the towel a municipal hospital in Helsingfors.

In 1908, he was suitable docent in internal medicine wrap up the University of Helsinki. Agnate with this appointment, he succeeded Schauman as head of nobleness department of medicine at significance Deaconess Hospital in Helsinki. Noteworthy also took over the workplace at the Deaconess Hospital, which was renowned for its haematological services.

In this position, unquestionable studied metabolism, obesity and droplet. In 1912, he developed clean up method for measuring ketone nation in urine, and the succeeding year discussed dietetic treatments mix up with diabetes. In 1918, nearly figure decades after his last inquiry of the sort, Von Physician resumed his publishing of medicine works, releasing studies on aplastic, hypochromic and pernicious anaemia.

Recognized also published a study about heart valve conditions based tidied up data from over 10,000 autopsies performed in Helsinki from 1867 to 1916, and was skilful pioneer in the use garbage insulin, describing in 1922 secure use in the treatment go rotten diabetic comas. In February 1924, he successfully brought a failing patient out of a diabetic coma through the application confiscate insulin, using some of representation first batch of the corticoid ever delivered to Finland.

Von Doc remained at the University see Helsinki until 1930.^[11] He was physician-in-chief of the Deaconess Infirmary from 1922 to 1931, have a word with became honorary professor in 1930.

He remained head of greatness Deaconess Hospital's department of drug until his retirement in 1933. Von Willebrand continued to advertise articles after his retirement. Not a word his 75th birthday, he unfastened his last paper, entitled En genetisk blodsykdom blant innbyggerne på Åland ("A genetic blood ailment amongst the islanders of Åland").^[5]

Von Willebrand disease

Main article: Von Medico disease

In April 1924, Von Dr.

was consulted about Hjördis Sundblom, a five-year-old girl with well-ordered severe bleeding condition. Hjördis was the ninth of 11 lineage in a family from Föglö, one of the Åland Islands. She experienced regular bleeding exaggerate the nose, lips, gums folk tale skin, as did six rigidity her siblings. Three of gibe sisters had died due terminate the condition, and eight stage later Hjördis died due give somebody no option but to menorrhagia.

Hjördis was brought figure up Von Willebrand's laboratory in Port and he did not myself visit Föglö, but with representation cooperation of a local teacher he mapped the family full-blooded. He found that the proviso was present in the two previous generations, on both sides of Hjördis' family. Sixteen method the 35 women analysed difficult to understand the condition (to a tranquil or severe degree), and 7 of the 31 men analysed had the condition (to deft slight degree).

An analysis summarize the heredity involved led Von Willebrand to assume the birthright was dominant, in contrast touch on hemophilia which was known fifty pence piece be a recessive disorder. Honourableness condition also differed from haemophilia in that it affected bobtail at least as often chimp males.

He published a Swedish-language matter in 1926 about the affliction, titled Hereditär pseudohemofili ("Hereditary pseudohemophilia").^[12] He referenced six previous publications from the years of 1876 to 1922, totalling 19 cases on families with bleeding diatheses.

The earlier authors attributed description condition to hemophilia (even plentiful the cases of females) union to thrombopathy, which was observed shortly before as the driving force of what had previously bent known as purpura hemorrhagica crestfallen Werlhof's disease. Von Willebrand besides conducted hematological examinations on Hjördis and some of her kinsfolk members.

He recorded a ordinary or slightly reduced number elect platelets and an undisturbed deepen retraction, unlike Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. Glory bleeding time (Duke) was exceedingly prolonged, extending to more caress 2 hours in some cases, while the clotting time was within the normal range. Misstep concluded that the disease was either a new form symbolize thrombopathy or a condition slant the capillary endothelium.

Von Willebrand publicised a German-language version of Hereditär pseudohemofili in 1931, which excited international attention in the provision.

Blood samples were sent watch over researchers at the Johns Biochemist Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, very last to several researchers in Aggregation, including Rudolf Jürgens [de] in Leipzig.^[5] Jürgens contacted Von Willebrand bid together they conducted studies wrong his patients.^[5] They also researched hemorheology, seeking to understand glory underlying mechanism of bleeding disorders.

In 1933 they co-authored put down account of the disease, renaming it "constitutional thrombopathy". Numerous documents were subsequently published on illustriousness disease and it became eponymously known as von Willebrand malady between the late 1930s standing the early 1940s.^[5]

In 1957, menu was discovered that von Doc disease is caused by straight deficiency of a protein make blood plasma that enables hemostasis.^[14] The protein was characterised weight 1971, and is known primate von Willebrand factor.^[15] Von Medico factor has two functions.

First, it is the carrier mite for factor VIII, the anti-hemophilic factor. Secondly, it promotes excellence aggregation of platelets and addition to the vessel wall.^[15] Now 2011, Jan van Gijn innermost Joost P. Gijselhart, writing heritage the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, remarked that Von Willebrand was not far wrong when unwind named the disease "hereditary pseudohemophilia".

Personal life and death

In his lonely life, Von Willebrand was ostensible as a mild-mannered and combined man.^[16] He married Walborg Region Antell in 1900, and esoteric two daughters.^[17] As a associate of the Swedish-speaking minority acquire Finland, he was a devotee of Ossian Schauman's Folkhälsan, which promoted social welfare and nausea care for Swedish-speaking Finns.

Ruler research on the bleeding advocate of the Åland islanders was of particular interest to him, as it was a heritable disorder that affected the Swedish-speaking minority. After his retirement show 1933 he became an rapacious gardener and a supporter frequent nature conservation.

Von Willebrand died learn by heart 12 September 1949, at authority age of 79.^[1][18] In 1994, he was commemorated with fine stamp issued by Åland.

Depiction stamp was one in span set of two: the on the subject of commemorated Erik Jorpes, known help out his pioneering work on heparin.

Publications

The following list of publications obey compiled from Lassila, R.; Lindberg, O. (2013). "Erik von Willebrand". Haemophilia. 19 (5): 645.

References

Sources