IntroductionIn an earlier contribution, the authors reported about theoutstanding neurosurgical activities and publications of theSwiss surgeon and Nobel Prize laureate, Emil TheodorKocher (1841–1917), with special emphasis on his percep-tions in the fields of epilepsy and tumour surgery [12].Furthermore, his methods in spinal surgery and his theorieson raised intracranial pressure (ICP) were appreciated [9,12].Many Swiss surgeons have made important contributionsto neurosurgery throughout history. However, few havemade such important contributions as those of the Swiss-born pioneer/surgeon, Rudolf Ulrich Kronlein (1847–1910).The aim of this article therefore is to introduce Kronlein'sbiographical information and scientific contributions to theneurosurgical society. Furthermore, the authors discuss sim-ilarities of the German-speaking surgical generation of thistime and draw conclusions concerning our role in medicalenterprises today.MethodsA recapitulation of Kronlein’s biographical information andoutline ofhis relevant neurosurgicalpublications are derivedfrom his articles cited in this essay. The literature researchwas strongly supported by the team of the antiquarian book-shop, Sohn (Marburg, Germany).ResultsBiographical informationKronlein was born in Stein am Rhein (Switzerland) on 18February 1847. He went to secondary school in Schaffhau-sen and started his medical education at Zurich University in1866 [33]. During the winter term in 1867, he carried out aninternship with the anatomist Hermann von Meyer (1815-1892). In 1868, Kronlein attended Bonn University in Ger-many for a semester. In 1870, he successfully passed thestate medical examination in Zurich. Kronlein earned hisdoctorate on the open treatment of wounds (“Die offeneWundbehandlung, nach Erfahrungen aus der chirurgischenKlinik zu Zurich”) while working for the German surgeonEdmund Rose at Zurich University in 1870–1873 [16]. Inserving as a military surgeon in 1870–1871 during theFrench-German war, Kronlein followed his teacher Roseto Berlin. Here, Kronlein worked at the military hospitalTempelhofer Feld, which was administrated by RudolfVirchow (1821–1902). On the basis of Virchow’s recom-mendation, Kronlein continued his residency as an assistantfor Bernhard von Langenbeck (1810–1887), director ofsurgery at the University Clinic Charite in Berlin, Germany,in 1874. Beginning in the winter of 1878, Kronlein wasasked to be the deputy head of the surgical clinic at GiessenUniversity in Germany for a year. For this, he was appointedassociateprofessor bytheHessianministery.After his returnto Berlin, Kronlein was asked to organise the reconstructionof the royal clinical centre (Ziegelstrasse, Berlin). In 1881,his mentor Rose was elected as head of the BethanienHospitalinBerlin,andvonLangenbecksupportedKronlein’sappointment as professor and head of the surgical UniversityClinic in Zurich. He held this position for almost 30 years(1881–1910) (Fig. 1). His main surgical interests were:
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