Carl von Liebermeister

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Carl von Liebermeister (February 2, 1833 – December 24, 1901) was a German internist who was a native of Ronsdorf. In 1856 he received his medical degree from Greifswald, and in 1860 became an assistant to Felix von Niemeyer (1820-1871) at the University of Tübingen. In 1864 he became a professor of pathology in Basel, and in 1871 succeeded Dr. Niemeyer at Tübingen.

Liebermeister is remembered for his work involving the pathophysiology of fever, and research of anti-pyretic treatments including hydrotherapy. His name is associated with a dictum dealing with the relationship between the frequency of an individual's pulse and the body's temperature when feverish. Liebermeister's rule states that in adult febrile tachycardia, pulse-beats increase at a rate of approximately eight beats per minute to each degree Celsius.

Liebermeister was interested in many facets of medicine, and published articles on a wide array of subjects. His best known work was the 1875 Handbuch der Pathologie und Therapie des Fiebers (Textbook of Pathology and Therapy of Fevers). He also wrote a comprehensive work on cholera called Cholera Asiatica und Cholera Nostras, which was included in Carl Nothnagel's Handbuch der Specielle Pathologie und Therapie.

Associated eponym:
Liebermeister's grooves: Developmental grooves on the surface of the liver.