Rokitansky's diseases and cause of death : A short pathological and historical discourse

Carl Rokitansky was one of the foremost experts and pioneers in pathological anatomy of the 19th century. Virchow and Rokitansky paved the way for the modern specialty of pathology, as we know it today. Whilst Virchow was the doyen of histopathology, Rokitansky's merit was his excellent gross pathology establishing thereby a nosological classification of disease. For this achievement, Virchow called Rokitansky the Lineè of pathology. In spite of his importance little is reported on Rokitansky. If the cause of death is mentioned, it is always stated incorrectly. This error may be due to a misleading certificate of death, which was issued without autopsy. This essay aims to describe Rokitansky's illnesses, particularly in his last months, and to deduce from available evidence the most probable cause of his death - with short explanations for non-medical readers. Briefly, Rokitansky suffered from arteriosclerosis leading to stenocardial attacks (angina pectoris). Rokitansky tried to relieve himself from pain by using chloroform. His personal description of the symptoms in his autobiography and the circumstances of his death clearly indicate a heart attack as the cause of death.