Thure von Uexküll's Contribution to German Psychosomatic and Psychosocial Medicine: An Interview

Abstract

Thure von Uexkull (1920-2001) was a medical doctor and philosopher who made important contributions to both fields of medicine, especially psychosomatics, and philosophy. In medicine, his main contribution was applying a semiotic understanding to medicine, and developing a theoretical framework for psychosomatic medicine and beyond that to give shape to a theory for an integrated medicine. He has contributed to the development of some important concepts, such as “Endosemiotics” and “Subjective Anatomy” among others. In 1994, Thure von Uexkull was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Tartu in the field of semiotics and psychosomatic medicine (Kull & Hoffmeyer, 2005). It is the result of his efforts that now psychology, sociology, and psychosomatic medicine are obligatory subjects in the curriculum of undergraduate medical training in Germany (Tuffs, 2004). In philosophy, he was one of the founders of the school of biosemiotics. He was inspired by the works of his father Jakob von Uexkull who was