Published by and about Dr. Zirm
Published
by Dr. Eduard Konrad Zirm: Der Erfolgsautor Heinz G.Konsalik schreibt in seinem Roman, der in der österreichischen Wochenzeitung Die Ganze Woche in Fortsetzungen abgedruckt und 1998 mit Heiner Lauterbach und Gudrun Landgrebe verfilmt wurde: Eine Sünde Zuviel (Goldmann Taschenbuchausgabe 11/95, S. 82): |
By
the way, the first doctor who performed a successful corneal transplant
was a German, Dr. Eduard Zirm from Olomouc. It was performed in
1905. ” |
| Moser
Herbert, Der große Bogen – Von der Klinik in den Busch
(The Great Arch – From The Clinic In The Bush)- Published by
Styria, page 201 Univ. Prof. Dr. Herbert Moser knew Dr. Zirm personally and described their meeting in his book as follows: |
“While
I was temporarily stationed in the historic city of Olomouc, where
in the beginning of the war the old convent Hradisch was made into
a military hospital, I did not pass up the opportunity to visit
the famous eye surgeon Dr. Eduard Konrad Zirm. A native of Vienna,
and the first chief doctor of the eye clinic of the University of
Vienna, he was summoned to the newly established eye clinic in the
Moravian provincial hospital in Olomouc. In 1905 he demonstrated
to the Royal Society of doctors in Vienna the method he perfected
where he was the first doctor who accomplished a corneal transplant
from an accident victim to the eye blinded by a caustic lime. The
cornea recipient was able to see for the rest of his life. This
operation was a pioneering method not only from the standpoint of
eye surgery. What interested me in particular was the preparation
and conscientious tests. He determined experimentally that animal
tissues transplanted into humans are rejected. This visionary result,
determined through many experiments was a major step in immunology
that had at that time not been recognized. The memory of Dr. Zirm’s
figure, with his vigorous beard and his penetrating, but kind eyes
remained one of my strong and lasting impressions.” |
| Thorwald
Jürgen, Das Weltreich der Chirurgen, From the
papers of my grandfather, the surgeon H. St. Hartmann, Published by
Steingruber, Stuttgart, 1965. Jürgen Thorwald devotes a whole chapter to Dr. Zirm in his book, Das Fenster zum Licht, (The Window to Light). |
| Olmützer
Blätter, für die kulturellen Belange der Olmützer und
Mittelmährer, 11. Jahrgang, Nummer 3, März
(Lenzing) 1963. Dr. Richard Zimprich schrieb in seinem Artikel Die Augen der Welt blickten nach Olmütz über Dr. Zirm: |
“We
can only modestly point out that our country is proud that it was
able to offer this man, who is considered among one of the great
benefactor to humanity, an opportunity to realize his talents.” |
| ORF
SERIE: Austria, our century The ORF series will present a very nice segment about Dr. Zirm in the sequel: Thinkers, Researchers and Inventors: |
“A
snapshot of medicine occurred in the very beginning of the 20th
century. For the first time it was possible to restore eyesight
to a blind person. The surgical masterpiece is performed on a day
laborer. Alois Glogar was blinded while working with unslaked lime. Dr. Eduard Zirm, the eye surgeon from Olomouc performed a corneal transplant on him. It was the first successful organ transplant on a person, ever. He inserted a tiny sliver of a healthy cornea into Glogar’s eye and with it gave him eyesight.” |
| The
ORF series, Austria, Our Century, 1999, is also available on videotape. According to the above information, more video and audio tapes should be available from the ORF Archives: + The radio play, Licht dem Blinden Auge (Light for the Blind Eye), from the series Forgotten Austrians, March 18, 1963, broadcast on Zirm’s 100th birthday. +A sequel from the series: Das Jahrhundert der Chirurgen (The Century of Surgeons) + It is possible that there is another ORF film about Zirm’s operations. |
| Fachliteratur Graffe-Saemisch, Prof. Dr. Theodor, Handbuch der gesamten Augenheilkunde, Leipzig. |
| Velhagen,
Karl, em. Direktor der Augenklinik (Charité) Bereich Medizin
der Humboldt-Universität Berlin (Hg.) Der Augenarzt, Geschichte
der Augenheilkunde von OMR Dr. med. Wolfgang Münchow, Chefarzt
der Augenklinik des Bezirkskrankenhauses „ Heinrich Braun“
Zwickau. Veb Georg Thieme, Leipzig 1983. In diesem Buch befindet sich eine genaue Beschreibung und Zitate über die Operation. |
| Our Ophthalmic Heritage, Edited by Charles Snyder, Lucien Howe Library of Ophtalmology, 243 Charles St., Boston. |
| Lesky, Erna, Die Wiener Medizinische Schule im 19. Jahrhundert, In Kommission bei Verlag Hermann Böhlaus Nachf, Graz-Köln, 1965. |
| Lesky, Wiener klinische Wochenschrift S. 200. |
| Thorwald Jürgen, Das Weltreich der Chirurgen, Nach den Papieren meines Großvaters des Chirurgen H. St. Hartmann, Steingruben Verlag Stuttgart. |
| Zirm, Mathias, Historische Anmerkungen zur Hornhaustransplantation, Veröffentlichungen der Universität Innsbruck, Perspektiven der Forschung an der Universität Innsbruck |
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