On interactions between fever, inflammation, and the autonomic nervous system

The pathologist Simon Samuel, one of the pioneers in the field of the autonomic nervous system during the 19^th century, contributed significantly to the understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying inflammation. The remarkable advances in that field around the mid-19^th century fundamentally influenced future research of the last 170 years. In fact these findings are still connected with many novel studies on pathology today. Albert Eulenburg (1840–1917) is another scientist who contributed to the former advances in the autonomic nervous system and who closely cooperated with Samuel. Both scientists published articles and reviews in the German journal Schmidt’s yearbooks edited by J. A. Winter (1816–1901). It is remarkable that Johann Ignaz Hoppe (1811–1891), an even earlier pioneer of the autonomic nervous system, also wrote articles for the same journal and obviously had influenced Samuel. Although regulations discriminating Jewish academics existed in Prussia (and later in the German Empire) until approximately 1888, Samuel was finally made assistant professor (außerordentlicher Professor) at Königsberg University (today Kaliningrad/Russian Federation) in 1874. An embarrassingly low position compared to the significance of his scientific contributions and to the implications of his work on future generations.