Max Westenhöfer
| Max Westenhöfer | |
|---|---|
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| Born | February 9, 1871 Ansbach, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire |
| Died | September 25, 1957 (aged 86) Santiago, Chile |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields | Pathology, biology |
Max Westenhöfer (February 9, 1871 – September 25, 1957) was a German pathologist and biologist who contributed to the development of the anatomic pathology and the reform of public health in Chile.
Maximilian Joseph Johann Westenhöfer was born on February 9, 1871 in Ansbach, Bavaria. His father was a school teacher called Johan Karl Westenhöffer, but the son later simplified the spelling of his surname. His mother's maiden name was Knell, and in later years her name was sometimes appended to his according to the Spanish naming custom. making his name Max Westenhöfer Knell.
He studied at the University of Berlin where he graduated in 1894, He was a pupil of Rudolf Virchow, German physician and Professor of Pathology at the University of Berlin, known also for his interest in public health. His first employment was as an army doctor, which he remained, apart from three years in Chile, until 1922.
In 1908 he was hired by Augusto Matte, on behalf of the government of Chile, to teach Pathology at the School of Medicine of the University of Chile. As an international expert with the role to reform and modernize the teaching of pathology in Chile, the Chilean government provided him a higher salary than the local medical colleagues which motivated envy and resentment among some Chilean physicians. In 1911 he published what has been called the Westenhöfer Report, a five article series published in the German medical journal Berliner klinische Wochenschrift where he described in critical terms the poor health conditions and hygiene practices that he observed in certain urban areas and nursing homes in Santiago of Chile. His report led to protests from the conservative sector of the Chilean society which eventually led the government to deport him from Chile. However, the University of Chile Student Federation (FECH) including his medical students, some unions, and leftist parties gave public support to Prof. Westenhöffer and protested at his expulsion. In August 1911 there was a massive march in Santiago of Chile to protest at his expulsion and make a judicial appeal to prevent it, which did not take place until after he had left.
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