Friedrich August von Ammon

Who was Friedrich August von Ammon?

Friedrich August von Ammon was a German surgeon and ophthalmologist born in Göttingen. He was the son of theologian Christoph Friedrich von Ammon.

He studied medicine at the Universities of Göttingen and Leipzig, and following an educational journey through Germany and Paris, he settled in Dresden in 1823 as a physician. Here his primary focus dealt with surgical and surgical-anatomical duties. In 1828 he attained the tile of professor, becoming director of the surgical-medical academy in Dresden. In 1837 he was named royal physician to Friedrich August II, King of Saxony.

Known for his work in ophthalmology, he was instrumental in making Dresden a center of ophthalmic learning during his lifetime. In 1830 founded Zeitschrift für die Ophthalmologie, an early journal devoted to ophthalmology. In his prize-winning book, De Iritide, he made contributions involving investigations of iritis and sympathetic ophthalmia.

His most ambitious written effort in the field of ophthalmology was Klinische Darstellung der Krankheiten und Bildungsfehler des menschlichen Auges, a monograph acclaimed for its comprehensive treatment of eye disease, as well as for its superb hand-colored illustrations and its descriptions of congenital eye anomalies.