Franz Kiwisch von Rotterau

Who was Franz Kiwisch von Rotterau?

Franz Kiwisch von Rotterau was Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Würzburg and later at the University of Prague. He was one of Semmelweis's principal opponents. In Würzburg he was succeeded by Friedrich Wilhelm Scanzoni von Lichtenfels.

A native of Klattau in Bohemia, he earned his medical doctorate from Prague in 1837. Following the death of Josef Servas d’Outrepont in 1845, he was appointed professor of OB/GYN at the University of Würzburg. In 1850 he succeeded Antonín Jan Jungmann as professor of OB/GYN at the University of Prague. Not long afterwards he succumbed to the effects of tuberculosis, which resulted in his death at the age of 38.

His 1852 book, Klinische Vorträge, was an influential scientific work in the field of gynaecology. Kiwisch was considered an excellent teacher by his students.