Franz Naegele

Who was Franz Naegele?

Franz Karl Naegele was a German obstetrician born in Düsseldorf. His son, Hermann Franz Naegele, was also a noted obstetrician.

He earned his medical degree from the University of Bamberg, afterwards opening a medical practice in Barmen. In 1807 he became an associate professor at the University of Heidelberg, where in 1810 he was appointed a full professor of obstetrics.

He is remembered for "Naegele's rule", a standard method of calculating the due date for a pregnancy. His name is also lent to "Naegele's obliquity", also known as an anterior asynclytism.