Rudolf Schirmer

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Rudolf Schirmer (March 10, 1831 – January 27, 1896) was a German ophthalmologist from Greifswald. He initially studied medicine at the University of Greifswald, then furthered his studies at Göttingen, Berlin, Paris and Vienna. Later he returned to Greifswald, where he was habilitated for ophthalmology in 1860. In 1873 he attained the chair of ophthalmology, a position he held until his retirement in 1893. His son, Otto Schirmer (1864-1918) was also a professor of ophthalmology at Greifswald.

Schirmer is remembered for establishing ophthalmology as an independent discipline at Greifswald, as well as his research involving the anomalies of refraction and accommodation of the eye. He performed extensive studies of diseases involving the lacrimal apparatus, and in 1860 described the association of facial naevus flammeus with buphthalmos in a disease now known as encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis. This condition is sometimes referred to as "Schirmer's syndrome".

[edit] References

• XVth Convention of the Julius-Hirschberg-Gesellschaft
• Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics