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The Many-Sided Odysseus

Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2003;5:276-277.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

THE 200TH birthday of Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1794-1847), the remarkable and innovative Prussian surgeon, was celebrated in his adopted city of Berlin a decade ago. His contributions to the field of plastic surgery, particularly of the face, are myriad and have influenced generations of us who followed in his wake. The commemoration ceremonies were held on February 1 and 2, 1992, at the erstwhile renowned Charité Hospital where Dieffenbach served for 11 years and which flourished as the seat of German medical prowess.¹ The past half century has not been kind to the the tradition of German medicine, as the famed institution that once carried the torch of Teutonic enlightenment fell into disrepair at the hands of neglectful directorships. Nevertheless, Dieffenbach's legacy merits no burnishing.

The pioneering spirit of Johann Dieffenbach was nurtured in a family dedicated to scholarly pursuits, especially history, philosophy, language, and law. Young Dieffenbach proved his . . . [Full Text of this Article]