Johann Nepomuk Czermak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Nepomuk Czermak (June 17, 1828 - September 16, 1873) was an Austrian-German physiologist who was a native of Prague. He studied in Prague, Vienna, Breslau and Würzburg. At Breslau he was greatly influenced by the work of physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787-1869). He became at professor at Graz in 1855, and proceeded to work in several European cities incluing Krakow and Leipzig.

Czermak is remembered for his contributions made in the field of laryngology. Along with neurologist Ludwig Turck (1810-1868), he is credited for introducing the laryngoscope into medicine. The laryngoscope was created by Spanish singing instructor Manuel Garcia in 1854, and soon afterwards, Czermak made modifications to the device, and it soon gained popularity in the medical world. Czermak is also credited for adapting the instrument for examination of the nose and nasopharynx.

He had a keen interest in phonetics, and he performed extensive studies concerning the role of the larynx, nasal cavities, throat and mouth in the production of sound and the forming of consonants and vowels. Just prior to his death in 1873, Czermak founded a physiological institute in Leipzig called the Spectatorium.