Alfred Dührssen

Alfred Dührssen (March 23, 1862 - October 11, 1933) was a German gynecologist and obstetrician who was a native of Heide. He studied medicine at the University of Marburg, as well as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Academy for Military Physicians, and in 1886 became an assistant in obstetrics to Adolf Gusserow (1836-1906) in Berlin. In 1888 he became a lecturer at the University of Berlin, and in 1892 opened a private clinic for obstetrics and gynecological diseases.

Dührssen was a prominent figure in modern German gyncecology, and is remembered for his pioneer work in surgical practices such as vaginal Caesarean section (Kaiserschnitt). He was an advocate regarding institutional births for all pregnancies, and proposed that pregnant women undergo screening processes to uncover possible difficulties prior to giving birth.
 * Associated eponym:
 * Dührssen incisions': Inscisions made in the cervix as a means of effecting immediate delivery of the fetus.

Selected writings

 * Geburtshülfliches Vedemecum für Studierende und Ärzte (Gynecological Handbook for Students and Doctors); (1890).
 * Über Heilung und Verhütung von Frauenkrankheiten (Treatment and Prevention of Diseases relating to Women); (1900).
 * Die neue Geburtshilfe (Modern Obstetrics); (1923).

Reference
Alfred Dührssen
 * This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.