Lorenz Böhler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorenz Böhler
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| Born | 15 January 1885 Wolfurt, Austria
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| Died | 20 January 1973 (aged 88) |
| Resting place | Döbling Cemetery |
| Nationality |  Austria |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physician, surgeon |
Lorenz Böhler (born January 15, 1885, in Wolfurt, Austria – died January 20, 1973, in Vienna) was an important Austrian physician and surgeon. He is famous for helping to create modern accident surgery.
Böhler led a special hospital in Vienna, Austria, which was later named after him: the Lorenz-Böhler-Unfallkrankenhaus. This hospital became a worldwide example for treating injuries. In the field of radiology, doctors still use something called Böhler's angle. This measurement on a foot X-ray helps them find broken bones in the heel.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lorenz Böhler knew he wanted to be a surgeon from a very young age. When he was just five years old, he already dreamed of this career. As a boy, he would carefully study small birds and squirrels.
In 1896, something amazing happened. An X-ray picture of a hand, taken by Wilhelm Röntgen, was printed in a magazine. Young Lorenz saw it, cut it out, and kept it in his reading book. This showed his early interest in how the body works.
He went to school in Brixen and later in Bregenz, graduating in 1905. That same year, he began studying medicine at the University of Vienna. In 1910, he met his future wife, who was a nurse, while he was training at a hospital in Bregenz. On July 1, 1911, Böhler officially became a Doctor of Medicine from Vienna's University.
Early Career and New Ideas
After becoming a doctor, Böhler worked for a short time at the clinic of surgeon Julius Hochenegg. Hochenegg was one of the first doctors to have a special department for accident surgery. This was a new idea at the time.
Böhler also worked as a ship's doctor and at military hospitals. In 1914, he traveled to a big surgeons' meeting in New York City. On his way, he met a Belgian doctor named Albin Lambotte, who taught him about new ways to treat broken bones with surgery.
Later, Böhler visited the Mayo Clinic in the United States. There, he learned about special centers in London and Liverpool that focused only on treating fractures. He realized there was nothing like this in German-speaking Europe. He wanted to bring these modern ideas back home.
Helping Soldiers in World War I
When World War I began, Lorenz Böhler quickly started working as a surgeon. From 1914 to 1916, he treated soldiers. In August 1916, he became the main surgeon at a military hospital in Bozen.
At first, he wasn't allowed to treat serious bone fractures caused by gunshots. But he found ways to treat soldiers with broken bones very successfully. Because of his great results, he was finally allowed to treat these difficult injuries. His hospital was even expanded and renamed a "Special Department for Bone and Joint Fractures."
Here, Böhler put his amazing ideas into practice:
- Everything became specialized and organized.
- Detailed records were kept to study later.
- Important information was written right on the plaster casts.
- Patients were grouped by their type of injury.
- Those who could work helped out at the hospital.
Böhler had seen how messy other military hospitals were. Patients were mixed up, making it hard to treat them well. His organized approach made a huge difference.
Building a Special Hospital
After World War I, Böhler wanted to create special hospitals just for treating injuries. He talked to the Arbeiterunfallversicherungsanstalt (AUVA), which was a workers' accident insurance group in Vienna. He explained how having their own specialized hospital would be good for both patients and the economy.
The AUVA agreed with Böhler's ideas, and on December 1, 1925, the AUVA-hospital opened in Vienna. Böhler became the head of this new hospital. His reputation as a surgeon grew, especially in other countries.
In 1929, he wrote the first version of his famous book, Treatment of Fractures. This book became a classic and taught many doctors about modern ways to treat broken bones. On March 29, 1930, Böhler became a professor at the University of Vienna. He taught students about surgery and how to treat accidents.
Later Career and Legacy
During World War II, Böhler continued his work as an advisory surgeon for the German army. He also led the surgery department at a military hospital in Vienna.
After 1945, Böhler continued his successful career as a professor and doctor. He published many medical papers. He remained the head of the AUVA-hospital until 1963. His son, Jörg Böhler, who was also a surgeon, later led the same hospital from 1970 to 1983.
Böhler's Treatment Principles
Lorenz Böhler had clear goals for treating injuries:
- To save the patient's life.
- To save the injured body part.
- To save the function of that body part (so it could work again).
He believed these goals could be reached by:
- Making a fast diagnosis (finding out what's wrong).
- Adjusting the injured part without causing pain.
- Keeping the injured body part still (immobilizing it).
- Encouraging active movement of all other body parts, while avoiding pain.
Böhler did not like older treatment methods like using electricity, hot air, or massage for fresh injuries. He focused on precise, careful, and active recovery.
Honours and Awards
Lorenz Böhler received many awards for his important work:
- Knights Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph (1915)
- Merit Cross of the Austrian Red Cross (1917)
- Military Merit Medal (Austria–Hungary) (1918)
- Red Cross Medal (Prussia)
- Honorary Citizen of Wolfurt (1957)
- Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (1959)
- Medal of Vorarlberg in Gold (1964)
- Ring of Honour of the City of Vienna (1965)
In 1940, Böhler became a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. A new building for the Accident Hospital opened in 1972 and was named the Emergency Hospital Vienna Lorenz Böhler in his honor. A street in Vienna's 20th District was also named after him. He was an honorary member of 33 medical groups around the world.
