[Carl Wilhelm von Zehender (1819-1916)--authentic data from his life].

The life and work of Carl Wilhelm von Zehender are discussed in the light of recent information. As a pupil and friend of Albrecht von Graefe, he took part in the foundation of the Heidelberg Ophthalmological Society, which was, right from its start, an international association. He was the first editor of "Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde" (1863). In 1862, he was nominated professor of ophthalmology and otology at Berne, Switzerland, but already in 1866, he accepted a call to the newly created chair of ophthalmology at Rostock, Mecklenburg. There, he initiated ophthalmic microsurgery and--in the field of social medicine--scientific expert judgment of damage to the eyes. Hirschberg's rather depreciating criticism of von Zehender appears no longer valid.