Ernst Friedrich Gurlt

Who was Ernst Friedrich Gurlt?

Ernst Friedrich Gurlt was a German veterinarian and anatomist born in Drentkau near Grünberg, Silesia. He was the father of surgeon Ernst Julius Gurlt.

Initially trained as a pharmacist, he later studied medicine and anatomy. Beginning in 1819, he taught classes at the Berlin Tierarzneischule, where from 1827 to 1870 he held the title of professor. In 1849 he was appointed technical director of the school.

Ar Berlin, he gave lectures in normal and pathological anatomy, physiology, zoology and botany. He is remembered for his investigations of animal deformities, and during his career he amassed an impressive collection of anatomical malformations. With Carl Heinrich Hertwig, he founded the Magazin für die gesammte Thierheilkunde.

His name is associated with Gurltia paralysans, a parasitic nematode that infects certain felines.