Endoscopic History ENT

Anton Friedrich von Tröltsch (1829 - 1890)

Anton Friedrich von Tröltsch is considered as the "Father of ENT medicine" in Germany. He was the one that added the illumination method with the reflecting mirror, developed by Hofmann (Fig. 1) into the daily clinical routine.
He gave lectures - trained by Tonybee and Wilde in England - as the first one in Germany about Otology at the Würzburg University. His published textbook of 1862 was widely circulated.
Besides his bust in the Würzburg Department of Otolaryngology and a small side street - named after him in Würzburg - reminded the angulated ear forceps (Fig. 2) to these truthfull great man of our medical field.
By Fig. 3 Tröltsch is shown during treatment of a patient. This image has been published in 1880 in a "Home Story" at the German magazine "Gartenlaube" in which he is praised in the skies. Also his presentation of the lighting mirror left downwards in the picture is of interest.

Fig. 1                                                             Fig. 2                                               Fig. 3

( Text: Dr. Lübbers, delivered by Michael Künze / Karl Storz Germany)