Nationality German Role Neurophysiologist | Name Paul Hoffmann Died 1962 | |
Institutions University of WurzburgDirector of Institute of Physiology at University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau Alma mater University of LeipzigUniversity of MarburgUniversity of Berlin Known for Describing Hoffmann's sign for assessment of nerve regeneration and success of nerve sutures. Education | ||
Paul Hoffmann (July 1, 1884 – March 9, 1962) was a German neurophysiologist and is known for describing Hoffmann's sign.
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Medical career
He was born in Dorpat, Estonia where his father was professor in Internal Medicine. He went on to study medicine in Universities of Leizpig, Marburg and Berlin from where he received his medical degree in 1909. In 1911 he was appointed as assistant to Max von Frey at Wurzburg University. He published 32 articles prior to beginning of World War I and during the war worked for several German field hospitals in France and military hospital at Wurzburg.
His early worked mainly focused on nerve action potentials and electrophysiology of nerves. He was a prolific writer and researcher and has been hailed by some as father of modern German neurophysiology
In 1917, he was appointed as Associate Professor at University of Berlin and in 1924 he was made director of Institute of Physiology at University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau which was completely destroyed in an aerial raid in 1944 but continued his work later in a new building until he retired in 1954.
He received honorary degrees form Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Zurich.
Hoffmann's sign
It was in March and August 1915 just few months before Jules Tinel when Hoffmann published two articles in journal Medizinische Klinic describing a method of evaluating success of nerve sutures and nerve regeneration. The sign termed as (H- sign) Hoffmann's sign was elicited by tapping distal to the site of injured nerve which produced tingling sensation, the sensation was neither permanent nor severe. In October 1915, Jules Tinel described the same phenomenon in French "le signe de fourmillement".
Hoffman did not get enough credit in spite of being the first one to describe this sign because after the end of the war, Tinel's research gained more popularity and in all regions outside Germany where the sign is known as Tinel's sign.