Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow (born October 13, 1821, in Schivelbein, Pomerania; died September 5, 1902, in Berlin) was a German doctor, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician.
Virchow studied medicine in Berlin at the military academy of Prussia, where he graduated in 1843. He became professor in 1847. Due to political reasons, he moved to Würzburg two years later, where he worked on anatomy. In 1856, he returned to Berlin.
Virchow is credited with multiple significant discoveries. He is cited as the first to recognize leukemia. However, he is perhaps best known for his law Omnis cellula e cellula ("every cell originates from another cell") which he published in 1855. (The epigram was actually coined by François-Vincent Raspail but popularized by Virchow). This relates to his findings that not the whole organism, but only certain cells or groups of cells can become sick. Virchow is also famous for elucidating the mechanism of pulmonary thromboembolism, thus coining the term embolism. He noted that blood clots in the pulmonary artery originate first from venous thrombi, stating: "The detachment of larger or smaller fragments from the end of the softening thrombus which are carried along by the current of blood and driven into remote vessels. This gives rise to the very frequent process on which I have bestowed the name of Embolia." Related to this research Virchow has been attributed a triad describing the factors contributing to venous thrombosis, Virchow's triad. Virchow founded the medical disciplines of cellular pathology, comparative pathology (comparison of diseases common to humans and animals) and anthropology.
Rudolph Virchow, by Hugo Vogel
Virchow also worked as a politician (member of the Berlin City Council, the Prussian parliament since 1861, German Reichstag 1880-1893) to improve the health care conditions for the Berlin citizens, namely working towards modern water and sewer systems. Virchow is also credited with the founding of "social medicine", frequently focusing on the fact that disease is never purely biological, but often, socially derived. As a co-founder and member of the liberal party (Fortschrittspartei) he was an important political antagonist of Bismarck.
In 1869 he founded the Society for anthropology, ethnology and prehistory (Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte) which was very influential in coordinating and intensifying German archaeological research.
In 1892 he was awarded the Copley Medal.
He was a very prolific writer. Some of his works are:
