Wolff and Müller: fundamental eponyms of embryology, nephrology and urology.

PURPOSE

Kaspar Friedrich Wolff and Johannes Petrus Müller, German physicians in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively, contributed significantly to the study of the biological sciences, specifically embryology and the development of the genitourinary tract. Their eponyms are a part of daily conversation in medical education, practice and research. We reviewed their lives and works.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Commentaries on the works of these scientists as well as available English translations of their works were analyzed.

RESULTS

Wolff and Müller were pioneers in their fields. Wolff gained renown for his Theoria Generatonis, a great embryological treatise, produced in 1759. Müller performed significant studies in the fields of anatomy, pathology, physiology and embryology. In 1834 he became editor of the physiology journal that later came to be known as Müller's Archiv.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies of and inferences about the development of the urogenital system a century apart by these 2 men contributed greatly to the current understanding of embryology. Their names remain a part of everyday medical dialogue.