Pettenkofer, Max von

PHYSICIAN (GERMANY)
BORN 3 Dec 1818, Lichtenheim, Bayern - DIED 10 Feb 1901, München, Bayern
CAUSE OF DEATH suicide
GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Alter Südfriedhof, Thalkirchnerstrasse 17 (31-01-33/34)

Max von Pettenkofer was the son of a farmer. His uncle Franz Xaver Pettenkofer enabled him to study at the University of Munich. In 1843 he was promoted. He worked in Würzburg and for Justus von Liebig in Giessen before he was appointed professor of medical chemistry in Munich in 1847.

In 1865 he became the rector of the university and in that same year he became Germany's first professor of hygiene. He was enobled in 1883 and from 1890 to 1899 he was the president of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. After he lost his wife and three of his childtren he sank into a depression and he shot himself in 1901. He was buried at the Alte Südfriedhof in Munich. The Max von Pettenkofer Institut in Munich was named after him.

Related persons
• was painted by Kaulbach, Friedrich August von
• worked for Liebig, Justus, Freiherr von

Images

The grave of Max von Pettenkofer at the Alte Südfriedhof, München.
Picture by Androom (22 Aug 2008)

 

Sources
• Scheibmayr, Erich, Wer? Wann? Wo?, Persönlichkeiten in Münchner Friedhöfen, Verlag Erich Scheibmayr, München, 1989
Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909
Max von Pettenkofer - Wikipedia


Pettitt, Henry

Published: 31 Jan 2016
Last update: 06 Sep 2024