Pioneers in endoscopy - life and work of Philipp Bozzini

Abstract

Philip Bozzini was born in 1773 in Mainz on the Rhine, Germany. In 1796, he completed his medical studies and received the title of doctor of medicine. In the same year, he received his license to practice and opened a medical practice in his hometown. In 1801, Bozzini and his family moved to Frankfurt am Main, but it was not until 1803 that the city council granted him citizenship and the right to practice medicine. Bozzini had a small private medical practice, which gave him a lot of time for scientific work, writing articles and preparing several inventions. The result was the development of a device for examining body cavities, which he called Lichtleiter – „light conductor”. However, his invention was not widely used in medical practice due to a negative opinion issued by the Faculty of Medicine in Vienna. In 1808, Bozzini received the title Physicus extraordunarius, which was associated with the duties of caring for people suffering from typhus. In 1809, Philipp Bozzini fell ill with typhus and died shortly thereafter at the age of almost 36.