Phoebe, Philip

He was the son of Dr. med. Ludwig Phoeb ^[3] and Henrietta Wulf

Philip Phoeb studied at the Gymnasium of the Gray Monastery in Berlin ( Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster ). It was there, under the leadership of the famous botanist Julius Raceburg and the physicist Ernst Gottfried Fischer , that he discovered the natural sciences . In 1821, after graduating from high school, he entered the University of Berlin to study medicine . However, due to the duel, he spent 2 years in the fortress, in custody. In 1827, Phoebe received a Ph.D. for the dissertation: "Animadversiones in normas cranioscopicas Camperianam et imprimis Duverianam . "

In 1828, Philip went on a scientific mission to southern Germany , Paris , Strasbourg , Switzerland and northern Italy . In Würzburg, he studied the anatomy for several months with the famous pathologist Karl Geisinger (1792–1883) and clinical medicine with Johann Lucas Schönlein (1793–1864), the first German professor to lecture in German instead of Latin. In Paris, he continued his medical studies with the physician Pierre-Charles Alexandre Louis (1787-1872).

In 1831, Phoebe returned to Berlin and entered the newly created post of prosector (assistant professor of anatomy) at the Charité clinic, but there he did not find support in his scientific research, quarreled with leading doctors and resigned after 16 months.

In 1832, Phoebe defended his doctoral dissertation (habilitation), “De concrementis venarum osseis et calculosis”, becoming a privat-docent of normal and pathological anatomy in Berlin. At the same time, he turns to pharmacology, and especially to the formulation neglected up to that time. On the basis of information collected during outpatient activities, Phoebe began conducting Prescription courses, for which he wrote in 1831 a short “Specielle ärztliche Receptirkunst oder Inbegriff ...”. In 1833, Phoebe published a pathological study of cholera "Ueber den Leichenbefund bei der asiatischen Cholera."

In 1835-1843, Phoeb continued his medical practice as a doctor at the Counts of Stolberg in Stolberg and Nordhausen ( Harz ). Nevertheless, he retained his position as privat-docent at the Faculty of Medicine in Berlin. In Stolberg, Phoeb was engaged in pharmacological, toxicological and natural science research. During this period, he published a number of scientific papers, including articles on biology and geology, and completed his Receptirkunst.

In 1843, Phoebe married Johann Maria Henrietta (1820–1893), the daughter of Johann Gottlieb Theodor Bergner, a clothmaker from Nordhausen, and in the same year he was appointed professor at the University of Giessen . In it, Phoebe founded the first German Institute of Pharmacology. He led this institute until 1865, when he was forced to retire due to health reasons. Together with his teaching activities, Phoebe developed a methodology for studying medical, pharmacological and natural science subjects, and wrote articles for various medical journals. In Giessen, he joined the Masonic lodge Ludewig zur Treue.

A serious illness caused Phoebus to travel to the south of France. During the trip, he collected pharmacodynamics material published in 1864: Die Delondre-Bouchardat'schen China-Rinden. After returning to Giessen , Phoebe's health deteriorated so much that in 1865 he was forced to turn to the government to release him from service.

At the end of his life, Phoebe took an active part in pharmacy reform. He also took up the idea of ​​creating an international European Pharmacopoeia that he hatched for a long time. For this purpose, he established contact with outstanding doctors and pharmacists from all major European countries, making considerable efforts and sacrificing everything to achieve the desired result. However, in 1878, the visionary project failed and was only implemented in the 20th century. Phoebe was not able to overcome the difficulties that arose, and with the collapse of hopes his life force also melted.

He died on July 1, 1880, after a long and serious illness.

After him, the pharmacological collection remained, occupying 8 cabinets in two large rooms, first in his private apartment, and then in the post office.

Phoeb attached great importance to the scientific qualifications of pharmacists, and also advocated for the training and employment of women as assistants in pharmacies. He was highly regarded as a pioneer in allergy research. Under Phoebe, pharmacology became the basis of therapy . Influenced by the physiological concepts of Karl-Gustav Mitcherlich (1805–1871), the French school of Francois Mazhandi (1783–1855) and the therapeutic principles of Johann Lucas Schönlein, Phoeb observed the transdermal mode of action of certain medicinal substances. He transformed traditional “medical material” into pharmacodynamic, on the basis of science, which led to the creation of modern pharmacology, later founded as an independent biomedical subject by Rudolf Buchheim (1820–1879), together with his student Oswald Schmiederberg .

Phoebe was an honorary doctor of Giessen (1849); a member of numerous foreign scientific societies, including the German Academy of Naturalists Leopoldina (1833), the Moscow Society of Naturalists , the Prussian Royal Academy of General Useful Sciences (Erfurt), the Royal Bavarian Botanical Society (Regensburg); Knight of the Grand Order of Merit; Honorary Citizen of Stolberg (1849).

1. "Animadversiones nonnullae in normas cranioscopicas, camperianam imprimis et durerianam ." Dissertatio inaug., 1827.
2. “Specielle ärztliche Receptirkunst oder Inbegriff der beim Verordnen der einzelnen pharmaceutischen Arzneimittel zu beobachtenden Regeln in alphabetischer Ordnung : Nebst einer Receptsammlung und einigen anderen Zugaben für” medical prescribing rules and regulations , 1831.
3. "Ueber den Leichenbefund bei der asiatischen Cholera" ("On the result of a corpse examination with Asian cholera"), 1833.
4. “Kurze Anleitung zur ersten Hülfeleistung bei akuten Vergiftungen” (A Quick Guide to First Aid for Acute Poisoning, 1836, 3rd edition, 1840).
5. The Deutschlands kryptogamische Giftgewächse (German Non-Flowering Poisonous Plants) was published by F. F. Brandt and J. T. K. Raceburg as the second volume of the publication “Abbildung und Beschreibung der in Deutschland wildwachsenden und in Gärten ... Giftgewächse ...” (“Wild and German garden poisonous plants in illustrations and descriptions ... ", ed. 1838).
6. “Handbuch der Arzneiverordnungslehre” (“A Handbook on the Theory of Drug Regulation” in 2 volumes, Vol. 1 1839, Vol. 2 1840, translated into Dutch in 1841).
7. "Ueber die Naturwissenschaften als Gegenstand des Unterrichts, des Studiums und der Prüfung angehender Aerzte" ("On the natural sciences as a subject of teaching, study and testing of beginning doctors"), 1849.
8. "Die wichtigsten Regeln der Arzeneiverordnungslehre" ("The most important rules of the theory of drug regulation"), 1850.
9. "Die Deutsche Stenographie: Von P. Phoebus" // Deutsche Vierteljahrs Schrift. Okt. - Dec. 1855, N Issue 72. - C. 136-175.
10. “Zur Vereinfachung der Arznei-Verordnungen : Gratulationsschrift zur Feier des fünfzigjährigen Bestehens der Kaiserlichen Societät der Naturforscher zu Moskau” (To simplify prescribing: A letter of congratulation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Imperial Society in Moscow, 56 naturalists.
11. "Ueber die pharmakodynamischen Aequivalente der Mineralwässer" ("On the pharmacodynamic equivalents of mineral water"), 1859.
12. Der typische Frühsommer-Katarrh oder das sogenannte Heufieber, Heuasthma (Typical early summer catarrh or so-called hay fever, hay asthma), 1862.
13. Die Delondre-Bouchardat'schen China-Rinden, 1864.
14. “Bemerkungen über der heutigen Lebensverhältnisse der Pharmacie” (“Comments on the Living Conditions of Today's Pharmacy”, 1871) later published under the title: “Beiträgen zur Würdigung der heutigen Lebensverhältnisse der Pharmacie” (“Contribution to the Assessment of Living Conditions of Today’s Pharmacy”, 1873).

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB), 26

• H. Siebert // Archiv der Pharmazie 59, 1880, S. 241-52
• E. Crato-Todtenhöfer. Poebus und seine Pharmacopoea Europaea 1869 als Vorläufer der Europ. Arzneibuchs 1969, Dissertation. Marburg, 1984
• I. Hort, Die Prüfungsordnung f. Ärzte 1847 an d. Universität Gießen im Widerstreit der Meinungen // Mitt. d. Oberhess. Geschichtsverein, NF 84, 1999, S. 41-79
• K. Lohse, Der Professor für Medizin und Pharmakologie Philipp Phoebus (1804-1880) als Wegbereiter der modernen Pharmakologie : eine medizinhistorische Analyse einer Transkription einer Vorlesungsmitschrift seiner Vorlesung in Giessen 1846, Dissertation. Bochum, 1999 (unvollst. Bibliographie)

• Deutsche biographie
• Stolberger Geschichts- und Traditionsverein e. V.