Ferdinand Ludwig Herff
was born November 29, 1820 in Darmstadt, Germany. He came to San Antonio
in 1847 to find an idealistic commune. His family was aristocratic and
his dad, Christian von Herff, was a chief Justice of the Hessian
Supreme Court and his mother was Eleanora von Meusebach. He lived with
his uncle while attending the University of Bonn studying under medical
scientists. He began his medical education at Berlin and finish in 1843
in Giessen. He then joined the Hessian Army in 1843 for four years and
there developed techniques in plastic surgery and tuberculosis treatment.
He came to United States with a group of university-educated professionals and started a commune called Bettina in Texas. It failed and he had to return home to Germany. He married Mathilda Kungel Hoeffer in 1849. Then he rejoined the military and had great success in treating battle casualties because of his attention to cleanliness, which resulted in low infection rates.
He moved back to Texas with his wife and settled in New Braunfels to become a citizen. His reputation grew as a surgeon with remarkable medical feats, including the removal of two large gallbladder stones, the first use of chloroform, cataract removal resulting in the restoration of eyesight, the correction of a depressed skull fracture to alleviate traumatic epilepsy, and expert arrow removal. He also performed a gastrostomy on a daughter-in-law who had an ectopic pregnancy. Some operations that he did are still used today.
He helped organize the Bexar County Medical Society, the West Texas Medical Association, the Texas Medical and Surgical Record, and the Texas Medical Association. He was also instrumental in the establishment of San Antonio's first hospital. He died May 18, 1912 in San Antonio.
There has been a Dr. Herff practicing medicine in San Antonio since the Ferdinand started the tradition.
Bibliography:
The Handbook of Texas
Online: Herff, Ferdinand Ludwig