Alfred Goldscheider


Johannes Karl Eugen Alfred Goldscheider was a German neurologist born into a Jewish family in Sommerfeld.
He studied medicine at Friedrich-Wilhelm Medical-Surgical Institute in Berlin, and subsequently spent the next seven years as a military physician. During this period of time, he also served as an assistant to physiologist Emil du Bois-Reymond. He later became a professor at the University of Berlin.
In Berlin, he served as directing physician at the Krankenhaus Moabit and at the Virchow-Krankenhaus. In 1910 he succeeded Hermann Senator at the polyclinic.

Research

Goldscheider is best known for his work with the somatosensory system, in particular, research of the body's thermoreceptors in regards to localized "coolness" and "warmness" spots. He also performed research of localized tactile skin sensitivity that included tests involving "pain" and "tickle" sensations. The eponymous terms; "Goldscheider's test" and "Goldscheider's percussion" are derived from his research. During this time period, Swedish physician Magnus Blix of the University of Uppsala was performing similar tests, independent of Goldscheider.
In the late 1890s, with neurologist Edward Flatau, Goldscheider performed studies on the structure of nerve cells and their changes under different stimuli. Also, he is credited with describing the skin disorder, epidermolysis bullosa, a condition sometimes called "Goldscheider's disease".
Goldscheider died in Berlin.

Selected works