Viktor von Weizsäcker

Viktor Freiherr von Weizsäcker (born 21 April 1886 in Stuttgart; died 9 January 1957 in Heidelberg) was a German physician and physiologist. He was the brother of Ernst von Weizsäcker, and uncle to Richard von Weizsäcker and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker. (For his family tree, see Weizsäcker).

He studied at Tübingen, Freiburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, where he earned his medical degree in 1910. In 1920 he became head of the neurological department at Ludolf von Krehl's clinic in Heidelberg. In 1941 he succeeded Otfrid Foerster as professor of neurology in Breslau, and in 1945 returned to Heidelberg as a professor of clinical medicine.

Weizsäcker is known for his pioneer work in psychosomatic medicine, and for his theories regarding medical anthropology. He is remembered for his concept of Gestaltkreis, an elaboration of Gestalt psychology, in which he explains that biological events are not fixed responses, but are dependent upon previous experience and are constantly being repatterned through experience. Via Gestalt, Weizsäcker attempted to represent the unit of perception and movement theoretically.

In the late 1920s Weizsäcker was co-author of Die Kreatur with philosopher Martin Buber (1878-1965) and theologian Joseph Wittig (1879-1949). In this magazine, Weizsäcker advances his ideas concerning medical anthropology. In 1956 he published Pathosophie, where he tries to create a philosophical understanding of man through his drives, conflicts, and illnesses.


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

Viktor von Weizsäcker Viktor von Weizsäcker