Albrecht von Haller

He married thrice and was the father of eight children. Two of his sons named Gottlieb Emanuel and Albrecht, also embarked on a career as a botanist.

By 1773, his health started deteriorating and he took to opium in order to relieve himself of suffering. The use of this drug, apparently, brought him an early death than his illness.

On 12th December, 1777, this exceptional anatomist breathed his last in Bern. His works ‘Materia medica oder Geschichte der Arzneyen des Pflanzenreichs’ and ‘Histoire des Plantes suisses ou Matiere médicale et de l'Usage économique des Plantes par M. Alb. de Haller ... Traduit du Latin’ were published posthumously.

Albrecht von Haller was born to Niklaus Emanuel Haller and Anna Maria Engel, on 16th October, 1708, in Bern, Switzerland. He had five siblings and after the death of his mother, his father remarried Salome Neuhaus.

He was initially taught by a former pastor and later attended a school in Bern. Albrecht frequently suffered from illness and as a result could not participate in outdoor activities much. He developed an interest for languages and had innate talent in the discipline, and dabbled with languages such as Hebrew, Greek and Chaldee.

He had also created a compilation of about two thousand biographies of notable historical figure, in his early childhood.

During the time 1722-23, he stayed at his step-uncle’s house in Beil. His uncle Johann Rudolf Neuhaus was a physician and gave Albrecht lessons in philosophy, and various other subjects. However, he was not interested in philosophy, and determined to embark on a career as a physician. He also wrote poetry during the same time.

In December 1723, he enrolled at the ‘University of Tübingen’ where he studied medicine under the tutelage of Johann Duvernoy and Elias Rudolph Camerarius Jr.

Von Haller was also engaged in literary pursuits during the same time and penned the poem ‘Die Alpen’ in 1729, which was based on his journey through the mountainous region of Alps. The same year, he travelled back to Bern and was engaged in the profession of a physician in the city.

In 1732, his book ‘Gedichte’ was published and the poem ‘Die Alpen’ was first printed in this book.

In 1736, he moved to Germany and joined the ‘University of Göttingen’ as the chairperson of the botany, medicine, surgery and anatomy department of the institute.

In 1743, this eminent physician was made a Fellow of the Royal Society. During his stay at Göttingen, he was included in the cantonal council of Bern.

Albrecht was inducted into the ‘Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ in 1747 as a foreign member, and two years later, he was promoted to a noble rank.

This anatomist has made many contributions to the world but one of his most important works is his observation of the activities of the muscle as well as the nervous system. These observations by this learned physiologist, led to the foundation of modern day neurology.

Haller is also credited with observing and understanding the respiratory process and the independent functioning of the heart.