History

The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sophie (died 1427) performed the first autopsy for teaching and demonstration purposes at the Heiligengeist Hospital. The hospital founded in the 13th century was destroyed during the first siege by the Turks and was never rebuilt (now the Technical University of Vienna).

The first autopsy was carried out in the presence of doctors from the Faculty of Medicine and “scolares”, various scholars. Those attending the autopsy had to pay a fee. Once all expenses had been covered, the remaining amount collected was used to purchase a seal for the Faculty of Medicine.

In subsequent years, the university archive Acta Facultatis Medicae Universitatis Vindobonensis makes passing reference to autopsies carried out on those who had been executed. Observers included paying students and professors from various faculties, clerics and non-academic healers.

In the first half of the 15^th century, post-mortem examinations were presumably only carried out when there was sufficient interest or when students requested them. Post-mortems took place in a solemn setting, during which wine and confectionary (a mixture of various substances, covered in honey, which was intended to prevent nausea) were serverd. A requiem was then read in the presence of those present, and the body was laid to rest.

It is believed that the “Vienna Hospital” [Wiener Spital] mentioned in the Acta Facultatis Medicae Universitatis Vindobonensis was in fact the Heiliger Geist hospital, where post-mortems took place in its bathroom. The body was then buried in the St. Antonius Cemetery, which belonged to the hospital. Only in exceptional cases were autopsies carried out at the medical facutly itself.

In May 1452, the Faculty of Medicine selected a woman from among several condemned criminals sentenced to undergo an autopsy at the Faculty after her execution. Only medical doctors were allowed to attend the autopsy. Students, some of whom had already paid a fee to attend, were excluded after the woman was selected, although their money was refunded. After the autopsy, rumours spread that the woman had been pregnant. A pregnancy would have meant that a stay of execution should have been granted. Although this was denied by the Faculty, the fact that such special arrangements were made for this post-mortem examination leaves room for speculation.

Until the middle of the 17^th century, only the bodies of criminals sentenced to death were subjected to an autopsy.

From 1672 onwards, the bodies of people who had died in one of Vienna’s hospitals could also be used for anatomical demonstrations (Horn, 2002 and 2004).

Vietz studied medicine and law, but was more interested in veterinary medicine. On 24 November 1805, he became a full professor of forensic medicine and police science in Vienna. He created a reference book containing his lectures on forensic medicine, which was only published after his death in 1818 by Josef Bernt. One of his main duties as professor of forensic medicine was to perform post-mortem examinations in the presence of students. The students had to write up a visum repertum on what they had seen and were even allowed to perform post-mortems under the supervision of the professor. This was part of the slowly establishing, practically oriented approach to teaching at the Vienna medical school.

Works:

• "Instruktion für die öffentlich angestellten Ärzte und Wundärzte in den k.k. österreichischen Staaten, wie sie sich bey gerichtlichen Leichenschauen zu benehmen haben."

(Bauer, 2004)

Born on 14 September 1770 in Leitmeritz in Bohemia, he received his doctorate in 1797 from the University of Prague. Bernt first held the Chair for Forensic Medicine set up in Prague in 1808, and became a full professor in Vienna on 25 June 1813. He worked to promote the smallpox vaccination and focused on issues related to hygiene and battling epidemics.

Works:

• "Systemisches Handbuch der gerichtlichen Medizin"
• Instructions on saving those who appear to be dead
• Work on smallpox vaccinations, plague infection, St. Vitus’ dance
• Founder of the hydrostatic lung test (determining if a newborn had already breathed – still in use today in a related form)
• "Über den Nachweis des Gelebthabens neugeborener Kinder während und nach der Geburt."
• The necessity to examine the circulatory system when assessing the cause of death in newborns, and the difference between foetal canals before birth and their changes after birth.
• Founder of the journal "Beiträge zur Gerichtsarzneikunde für Ärzte, Wundärzte und Rechtsgelehrte", precursor to the more well-known contributions to forensic medicine
• Promoting the pathology of sudden death
• "Pathologie des Ertrinkungstodes"
• "Tod durch Erhängen"
• Collection of visa reperta and forensic medicine reports to serve as a guide for students.

Born in 1803 in Deutsch Bielau, Bohemia. He studied at the University of Vienna and was an assistant for pathological anatomy under Rokitansky. On 23 September 1843, he was appointed full professor for forensic medicine. Kolletschka cut himself during a post-mortem examination and died shortly afterwards from blood poisoning.

Works:

• Über Pericarditis – highlights the connection between observing the patient on their sick beds and subsequent post-mortem examination

Born in Pilsen in 1808. He became an assistant at the Museum of Anatomy and Pathology in Vienna in 1839, before becoming prosector and professor of pathological anatomy in Prague. In 1848, he was called back to Vienna to take up the chair of Forensic Medicine, a position which he held until 1875. He succeeded in securing a separate office for the professor of forensic medicine in the mortuary of the General Hospital.

Together with Carl Freiherr von Rokitansky, Dlauhy moved to the newly built one-storey "Leichenhof" building in 1862 (now the Brain Research Center of the Medical University of Vienna).

Born on 27 January 1837 in Prague. He studied at the University of Prague and received his doctorate in medicine in 1861. In the same year, he took up a position as an assistant at the Prague Institute for Forensic Medicine and was entrusted with the chair in a caretaking capacity following the death of the head at that time, Popel, in 1864. In 1869, Hofmann filled the newly created position of Chair for State Pharmacology in Innsbruck, before being called to Vienna in 1875.

Given that Hofmann was fluent in German, Czech, French and Italian, he had access to a wide range of literature on forensic medicine. He studied important cases in great detail using this literature and, by publishing these, made them accessible to other experts in the field. Hofmann recognised the value of the large number of corpses for post-mortems ordered by the health authorities or the courts which, thanks to him, were part of the duties of the institute and could be used for scientific and teaching purposes.

The building of the Institute for Forensic Medicine was extended in 1883 when a second floor and an auditorium were added. The working areas were moved to the south wing of the first floor and the museum was moved to the second floor. The auditorium, post-mortem room for forensic medical doctors and the laboratory were housed in the southern half.

Hofmann’s time as head of the institute also saw the death of Crown Prince Rudolph on 30 January 1889. Hofmann was involved in the post-mortem examination of the heir to the throne and proved suicide. Furthermore, evidence gathered during the examination indicated, according to Hofmann, that Rudolph acted in a state of extreme mental confusion. This made it possible for the body to be interred by the church.

Hofmann’s time as head of the institute also saw the death of Crown Prince Rudolph on 30 January 1889. Hofmann was involved in the post-mortem examination of the heir to the throne and proved suicide. Furthermore, evidence gathered during the examination indicated, according to Hofmann, that Rudolph acted in a state of extreme mental confusion. This made it possible for the body to be interred by the church.

Hofmann’s examination of the victims of the Ringtheater fire on 8 December 1881, in which the lives of more than 380 victims were claimed, brought further important findings for forensic medicine. Hofmann established the presence of carbon monoxide in the blood of charred bodies for the first time and demonstrated that smoke inhalation can be fatal. He provided ultimate proof here that the inhalation of smoke is a definitive sign of someone having been burned alive and the lack of carbon monoxide in the blood is an indication of someone being burned post mortem.

The "Wiener Freiwillige Rettungsgesellschaft", Vienna’s first rescue organisation, was established following the tragic events on 8 December 1881. Modern identification methods were used when examining the bodies, such as by using dental records.

Hofmann worked his whole life to give forensic medicine a scientific basis and used microscopy for his subject.

His services to science and healthcare were recognised by his being awarded the Order of the Iron Crown in 1884, lifting him to the status of knighthood. Hofmann was buried in an honorary grave in 1897 at Vienna’s Central Cemetery.

Works:

• "Die Respiration während der Geburt mit besonderer Rücksicht auf das Einatmen von Fruchtwasser als Hilfsmittel zur Erkenntnis des auf natürlichem Wege eingetretenen Todes der Neugeborenen (professorial thesis)."
• "Lehrbuch der gerichtlichen Medizin"
• "Atlas der gerichtlichen Medizin"
• "Über den plötzlichen Tod aus natürlicher Ursache"
• Development of an autopsy technique for children’s bodies
• Investigations and work on subjects including: suffocation, infanticide, tubal pregnancies, proving virginity and defloration
• Promoting the use of toxicology in forensic medicine
• Incorporating medical chemistry into forensic medicine

Was born in Vienna on 6 November 1857. He graduated with a doctorate from the University of Vienna on 7 December 1881. He was already active as a demonstrator at the Institute of Pathology during his studies.

He taught his students to document in detail all seemingly unimportant incidental findings. He placed particular emphasis on the pathological detection of poison, the pathology of sudden death and electropathology. He left the criminalistic side of the field, working with the courts and holding lectures for lawyers, to his first assistant Albin Haberda. In 1916, he took up the Chair for Pathological Anatomy.

Works:

• "Die Blutversorgung des Globus pallidus"
• "Die pathologischen Beckenformen"
• "Über den plötzlichen Tod aus natürlicher Ursache"
• Publisher of the 9^th edition of Hofmann’s textbook

Born in Bochnia, Galicia, on 29 January 1868, Albin Haberda received his doctorate in 1891 at the University of Vienna. From 1889, he was a demonstrator at the Institute for Forensic Medicine and, in 1892, he became deputy forensic anatomist. Following the death of Hofmann in 1897, Haberda was appointed caretaker of the Chair for Forensic Medicine until this position was filled by Alexander Kolisko in 1898. Once Haberda actually took over the position of Chair in 1916, the Institute was enlarged, both in terms of the building and personnel numbers.

Works:

• "Die gerichtsärztliche Bedeutung von Rachenverletzungen an Leichen Neugeborener."
• "Die fötalen Kreislaufwege des Neugeborenen und ihre Veränderungen nach der Geburt."
• "Über das postmortale Entstehen von Ekchymosen."
• Resumption of the "Beiträge der gerichtlichen Medizin"

Anton Werkgartner was born in Mauthausen on June 5, 1890. After the so-called Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich, he first became acting head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Vienna.

Fritz Reuter was born in Vienna on May 30, 1875, and was removed from office for political reasons.

• A chemistry lab for forensic medicine was set up

Walter Schwarzacher was born in Salzburg on April 3, 1892. He was mainly concerned with chemical-physical aspects of bloodstains (bloodstain analysis).

Leopold Breitenecker (Head of the Institute 1958 - 1973)

• Renovation of the old section of the building – an additional floor was added to the side wings and a new laboratory building was created by extending the building along Sensengasse.
• The presence of carbon oxide in blood was proven.
• The Department of Serology and the Department of Anthropology were established.
• A place for the collection of forensic medicine specimens was finally created in the listed central part of the main building.

Wilhelm Holczabek was born in Vienna on May 8, 1918. He

• created the definition of pain grading that is still valid today in criminal and civil law and
• significantly improved the detection of carbon monoxide (e.g. after poisoning) in blood and tissue samples from corpses.

Works:

• "Gerichtliche Medizin – Mutterdisziplin der begutachtenden Medizin, 1992"
• "Grundlagen und Praxis der Begutachtung von Verletzungen im Strafverfahren, 1987"

•  A DNA laboratory for forensic medicine was established.

• The DNA laboratory was accredited

The autonomy of the Medical University of Vienna (formerly the Faculty of Medicine) came into force.

Director of the Institute for Medical Chemistry

interim Head of the Department 01.12.2008 - 31.03.2010

2010

Daniele U. Risser is appointed Professor of Forensic Medicine and takes over as Director of the Center of Forensic Medicine ZGM (formerly Department of Forensic Medicine DGM).

• ZGM facilities and the DNA central laboratory were renovated and brought into line with the latest technological advances
• The Division of Forensic Toxicology was carved out and included as the Unit of Forensic Toxicology in the Clinical Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Department for Medical Chemistry Laboratory Diagnostics at the Vienna General Hospital.
• The Division of Forensic Molecular Biology was carved out and turned into an independent limited company (Forensisches DNA-Zentrallabor GmbH of the Medical University of Vienna)
• The post-mortem area was renovated and regular post-mortem activities were resumed at Sensengasse 2 after having been carried out in hospitals belonging to the Vienna Hospitals Association for several years
• The Units of Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Gerontology was established