Hans Christian Jacobaeus

Who was Hans Christian Jacobaeus?

Hans Christian Jacobaeus was a Swedish internist born in Skarhult.

In 1916 he became a professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. From 1925 until his death in 1937, he was a member of the Nobel Prize Committee.

Jacobaeus was an important figure in regards to modern laparoscopy and thoracoscopy. In 1910 he is credited with performing the first thoracoscopic diagnosis with a cystoscope, being used on a patient with tubercular intra-thoracic adhesions. In 1911 he published an article titled Über die Möglichkeit die Zystoskopie bei Untersuchung seröser Höhlungen anzuwenden in the journal Münchner Medizinischen Wochenschrift.

He also did pioneer work involving cystoscopic diagnostics of the abdomen. He understood the possibilities, as well as the limitations of the procedure, and was an advocate of endoscopic training for medical personnel. He also stressed the need for specialized instruments for optimum performance during laparoscopic examinations.

In 1901 Dresden physician Georg Kelling performed a cystoscope-aided intervention of a dog's abdomen. Kelling also claimed to have performed two successful laparoscopic examinations on humans prior to Jacobaeus, but nonetheless failed to timely publish his experiences.