The versatile August Bier (1861-1949), father of spinal anesthesia

"A professor is a gentleman with a different point of view." This character istic and sarcastic statement was often recited by August Bier (1861-1949) and can also be aptly applied to him. As the father of spinal and intraveno us regional neural blockade, Bier had a tremendous impact on surgery and an esthesia. It took him only two years to become a senior lecturer in surgery (so-called "Habilitation") under the guidance of Friedrich von Esmarch. In 1899, he was appointed chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Univer sity of Greifswald. From there, he moved to the University of Bonn in 1903 and then succeeded Ernst von Bergmann in Berlin in 1907. Bier's interest in the philosophical theories of Hippocrates and Heraclitus had a significant influence on his outlook on medical practice. His surgical colleagues disa pproved of this and his interest in homeopathy. On the other hand, he earne d much respect as the co-author of a surgical textbook, i.e., Chirurgische Operationslehre (Operative Surgery). He had a remarkable breadth of nonmedi cal interest, including philosophy and forestry, and the ideas he expressed are viable event today. His publications on philosophical subjects are as up to date as his concepts in forestry. In 1932, Bier finally decided to re tire, although by then he was no longer operating. From that time on, he li ved out his days at his estate in Sauen, and he died in 1949 at the age of 88. In this paper we describe some previously unknown aspects of Bier's wor k in both surgery and research; anesthesiologists and their patients are th e beneficiaries of two other of his inventions, namely, spinal and IV local anesthesia. Unfortunately, it is not possible to acknowledge all the innov ations of this ingenious surgeon, who truly deserved the description "A pro fessor is a gentleman with a different point of view." (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc.