[The letters of Ernst Wilhelm Brücke to Rudolf Virchow 1850-1857]

Rudolf Virchow is one of the most prominent German physician of the nineteenth century. Virchow pioneered the modern concept of pathological processes by his application of the cell theory to explain the effects of disease in the organs and tissues of the body. He emphasized that diseases arose, not in organs or tissues in general, but primarily in their individual cells. Moreover, he campaigned vigorously for social reforms and contributed to the development of anthropology as a modern science. Ernst Wilhelm Brücke was an important researcher in most fields of physiology. His works were epoch-making and influential for our knowledge of the nature of cells and his optical works made the basis for the invention of the eye mirror which was later constructed by Helmholtz. He also is also known for his work on the physiology of language. For the first time the correspondence between these scientific celebrities is published.