Ludwig Rehn, a German surgeon, performed the worldwide first successful cardiac operation in 1896 when he repaired a stab wound to the heart by direct suture. When he presented his work one year later at a surgical conference this pioneering operation evoked considerable ethical discussion. Rehn's surgical contributions also include carrying out the first thyroidectomy in 1880 and clarifying the causes of cancer in workers in the local aniline factories.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArisA. Francisco Romero, the First Heart Surgeon. Annals of Thoracic Surgery1997;64:870–71
2.
CappelenAH. Vulnus cordis, Herznaht. Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift Stuttgart1886;26:12
3.
GroteLR. Die Medizin der Gegenwart in Selbstdarstellungen. Biography, Leipzig1924;3:201–43
4.
BöttcherV, Alexi-MeskishviliV. Die Herznaht im neunzehnten Jahrhundert. Zeitschrift für Herz-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie2006;20:36–44
5.
6.
RehnL. Fall von penetrirender Stichverletzung des rechten Ventrikel's. Leipzig: Zentralblatt fuür Chirurgie, 1896:1048–49
7.
RehnL. Über penetrirende Herzwunden und Herznaht. Archiv für klinische Chirurgie, Berlin, 1897;55:315–29
8.
SchmittoJD, MokashiSA, CohnLH. Minimally-invasive valve surgery. Journal of the American College of Cardiology2010;56:455–62
9.
HachW, Hach-WunderleV. Über Medizingeschichte – Blickpunkte in die Medizingeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Stuttgart: Schattauer Verlag, 2007:69–71
10.
SchmidC, SchmittoJD, ScheldHH. Herztransplantation in Deutschland – ein geschichtlicher überblick. Darmstadt: Steinkopff Verlag Darmstadt, 2003
11.
SchmittoJD, TjindraC, KolatP, Josef Koncz (1916–1988) – pioneer of cardiac surgery. The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon2007;55:13–15
12.
SchmittoJD, GrossmannM, KubbeE, Norman Edward Shumway – pioneer of cardiac surgery (9 February 1923 to 10 February 2006)'. Herz2008;33:386–88
