Rudolf Virchow: Now You Know His Name

Our world is a better place because this pint-sized German doctor would not back down - not from the King, colleagues who ridiculed him or fights on behalf of the poor. Dr. Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902) used whatever it took – his words sharp as his scalpel, or even a gun fighting behind the barricades – to eradicate thousands of years of medical nonsense. He was a pioneer ushering in medical standards in practice today. Recognized in his time as an international expert in the field of pathology, his life culminated in ground-breaking public sanitation methodology, archeology studies and countless frustrating and victorious hours in politics. Far from a dry, boring intellectual, this farmer’s son’s magnetic personality generated extreme reactions of those around him. He was either loved or despised. Because of his status, often that meant the attention of the highest powers in Germany. Ignoring him meant widening his base of followers and firing his resolve to change what must be changed on behalf of the working class. The King booted Virchow from Berlin at a most inopportune time – during Virchow’s wedding. Bismarck challenged him to a duel. Colleagues stood in line to heckle or join him. The book was written to give Virchow the recognition he deserves, to ensure his story is not lost in time. Much of the book was told by Virchow himself through letters he wrote to his parents during the most tumultuous years of his life. Virchow lived four lives in one. All of them made a difference.