Albert Hoffa

Albert Hoffa (31 March 1859 – 31 December 1907) was a German surgeon, orthopedist and physiotherapist born in Richmond, Cape of Good Hope.

Albert Hoffa (1859-1907)

He studied medicine at the Universities of Marburg and Freiburg, earning his doctorate with a thesis on nephritis saturnina. In 1886, he opened a private clinic for orthopedics, physiotherapy and massage in Würzburg,[1] where in 1895 he became an associate professor at the university. In 1902 he succeeded Julius Wolff (1836-1902) at the department of orthopedics in Berlin.[2]

Hoffa is remembered for introducing an operation for congenital hip dislocations (1890),[3] as well as for development of a system of massage therapy (Hoffa system).[4] His name is associated with a condition known as "Hoffa's fat pad disease", being characterized by chronic knee pain primarily beneath the patella.[5]

In 1892 he founded the journal Zeitschrift für orthopädische Chirurgie.

Selected writings

• Lehrbuch der Fracturen und Luxationen für Ärzte und Studierende, 1888 - Textbook of fractures and luxations for physicians and students.
• Lehrbuch der orthopädischen Chirurgie, 1891 - Textbook of orthopedic surgery.
• Technik der Massage, 1893 - Technique of massage.
• Atlas und Grundriss der Verbandlehre, 1897 - Atlas and outline of the teaching association.
• Die orthopädische Literatur, 1905 - Orthopedic literature.[6]

See also

• Hoffa fracture
• Busch-Hoffa fracture

References

1. Pagel: Biographical Dictionary outstanding physicians of the nineteenth century. Berlin, Vienna, 1901, 758-760 Sp. (biography)
2. "Deutsche Biographie". Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
3. Google Books An Introduction to the History of Medicine, with Medical Chronology ... by Fielding Hudson Garriso
4. Beard's Massage: Principles and Practice of Soft Tissue Manipulation by Giovanni DeDomenico
5. Morini, G; Chiodi, E; Centanni, F; Gattazzo, D (1998). "[Hoffa's disease of the adipose pad: magnetic resonance versus surgical findings]". Radiol Med. 95: 278–85. PMID 9676203.
6. WorldCat Identities (publications)