Ernst Ludwig Heim

Who was Ernst Ludwig Heim?

Ernst Ludwig Heim was a German physician born in Solz, Thuringia. He was the son of pastor Johann Ludwig Heim.

In 1772 he received his doctorate in Halle, later serving as Stadtphysikus in Spandau. In 1783 he relocated to the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, where he opened a practice on Markgrafentheater Street. In Berlin he became a popular physician, recognized for treating the poor free of charge. In 1822, in recognition of decades of altruistic service, and on the 50th anniversary of earning his PhD, Heim was made an honorary citizen of Berlin. In Germany, numerous landmarks bear his name, and he is commemorated on a 1984 postage stamp. In addition, over sixteen biographies on Heim have been published.

Heim was the last physician of Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and for a period of time was a teacher to 8-year old Alexander von Humboldt in Tegel. The plant genus Heimia is named in his honor.