author

Friedrich Prinzing

1859–1938

A German physician and pioneer of medical statistics, he helped turn public health into something that could be measured, compared, and studied with care. His work on mortality, infant health, and epidemics gave doctors and policymakers better tools for understanding disease in modern society.

1 Audiobook

Epidemics Resulting from Wars

Epidemics Resulting from Wars

by Friedrich Prinzing

About the author

Born in Ulm on April 3, 1859, Friedrich Prinzing studied medicine in Tübingen, Munich, Berlin, and Vienna, qualifying in 1883. He returned to Ulm to practice as a physician and remained there for the rest of his life.

Although trained as a doctor, he became especially known for his work in medical statistics. He is described as a founder of scientific medical statistics, and his Handbuch der medizinischen Statistik from 1906 was an early modern overview of the field; a thoroughly revised second edition followed in 1931. His research focused on careful numerical study of health and society, including mortality, infant mortality, and broader demographic questions.

Prinzing also served in a range of medical and public roles, including as a railway doctor for many years, a member of the Württemberg medical chamber, and a volunteer military doctor during World War I. He died in Ulm on January 20, 1938.