[Julius Cohnheim's contribution to cardiovascular pathology with special reference to myocardial infarct]

The close relationship between Cohnheim und Virchow and the possible influence of this tie on Cohnheim's work in the field of the pathology of the circulation are discussed. Cohnheim's own investigations focussed on the occurrence of emboli and temporary ischemia and their effects on different organs in various experimental animals. He was the first to undertake experimental ligation of the coronary artery in the dog and, in collaboration with Huber, he hypothesized the connection between coronary artery sclerosis on the one hand and necrosis, myocardial scarring and sudden unexpected death on the other. Cohnheim's concept of myocardial infarction remains one of his most enduring ideas.