Hirschsprung, Harald (1830–1916)

English Names

Hirschsprung Harald

Original Names

Hirschsprung Harald

Date, Country, and City of Birth

December 14, 1830, Copenhagen, Denmark

Date City of Death

April 11, 1916, Copenhagen, Denmark

History of Life

Harald Hirschsprung, a Danish pediatrician, was a native of Copenhagen where his father, who was of German stock, owned a tobacco factory named A.M. Hirschsprung & Søner. He was the younger son, and it was expected that he would take over the family company. He refused and chose to become a medical doctor instead of taking over his father’s factory. In 1848 he passed the examination for admittance to the University of Copenhagen. He completed his medical studies in 1855 and interned at the Royal Maternity Hospital where he began his lifelong concern with pediatrics. He was also attracted to gastroenterology and in rare diseases, especially of the gut. His doctoral thesis, presented on May 11, 1861, dealt with congenital atresia of the esophagus and small intestine. In 1870...