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Abstract:
100 years after Rudolf Virchow's death, we find it necessary to demonstrate the mark his work has left on present day medicine. Curt Froboese wrote 50 years ago: "To come to know Rudolf Virchow well, it is sufficient to read him". Therefore the present collection of literal quotations from Virchow tries to show how valid many statements of Virchow still are. His definition of "health" precedes the well-known formulation of the World Health Organization. Virchow had a presentiment of molecular pathology, without defining this word, when he ascribed molecular forces to the cell and particularly to the cellular nucleus. As a terminologist he played a guiding role. His linguistic sense enabled him to prematurely find out "barbarisms" in medical terminology. At the same time, he also supported an international understanding. In particular the surgeons came to know through Virchow that malignant tumors are also primarily local events to be surgically treated preferably in the early stage. Therefore he requested a population-based statistical survey as developed by the cancer registries today. The legend that Virchow fought against bacteriology is not true. He did not stop in his efforts to differentiate between etiology, germs and the course of infection which presupposes knowledge of the respective cellular phenomena. Summing up it can be said that Virchow still plays an important role in our medical world.