Philipp Franz von Siebold

Who was Philipp Franz von Siebold?

Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (17 February 1796 – 18 October 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveller. He was the father of the first female Japanese doctor educated in Western medicine, Kusumoto Ine. Born into a family of doctors and professors of medicine in Würzburg (then in the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg, later part of Bavaria), von Siebold initially studied medicine at the University of Würzburg from November 1815, where he became a member of the Corps Moenania Würzburg. He read the books of Humboldt, a famous naturalist and explorer, which probably raised his desire to travel to distant lands. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora and fauna. One of his professors was Franz Xaver Heller (1775–1840), author of the Flora Wirceburgensis ("Flora of the Grand Duchy of Würzburg", 1810–1811). Ignaz Döllinger (1770–1841), his professor of anatomy and physiology, however, most influenced him.

Von Siebold stayed with Döllinger, where he came in regular contact with other scientists.

Historical significance

Döllinger was one of the first professors to understand and treat medicine as a natural science.