[Johann Nepomuk Czermak as a neurophysiologist in Leipzig]

Johann Nepomuk Czermak (1828-1873) gained a lasting reputation in the fields of laryngology, rhinology and dentistry. However, his works in the discipline he liked most--neurophysiology--have almost been forgotten. This paper focuses on those articles, which Czermak wrote during his last years in Leipzig (from 1869). Also it was here that he was finally able to fulfill his dream of a "spectatorium", a perfect place for both research and teaching at that time. This institution was the perfect expression of Czermak's uncompromisingly scientific approach, his views in social as well as matters of teaching. It is part of his tragedy though, that Czermak died too early in Leipzig, the place where he could finally realize many of his scientific visions, and that his inheritance was soon forgotten.