Origins & Early Life

Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Albrecht von Gräfe, often Anglicized to Graefe (22 May 1828 – 20 July 1870), was a Prussian pioneer of German ophthalmology. Graefe was born in Finkenheerd, Brandenburg, the son of Karl Ferdinand von Graefe (1787–1840). He was the father of the far right politician Albrecht von Graefe (1868–1933). At the University of Berlin, Graefe studied philosophy, logic, natural sciences and anatomy, under notable names such as Dove, H.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Rose, Müller, and Schlemm, eventually obtaining his medical doctorate in 1847. He continued his studies at Prague, Paris, Vienna and London, and having devoted special attention to ophthalmology, in 1850, he began to practice as an oculist in Berlin. Here, he founded a private institution for the treatment of eyes. During the same year, he received his habilitation with the thesis Über die Wirkung der Augenmuskeln. In 1858 he became an associate professor of ophthalmology at the Charité in Berlin, where in 1866 he was appointed a full professor.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1870, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1862 he married Anna Knuth. The couple had three children, two of whom died in infancy. Graefe...

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