False Vesalius postage stamps discovered

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A Moment in History

Georg Eduard Von Rindfleisch
(1836 – 1908)

German pathologist and histologist of Bavarian nobility ancestry. Rindfleisch studied medicine in Würzburg, Berlin, and Heidelberg, earning his MD in 1859 with the thesis “De Vasorum Genesi” (on the generation of vessels) under the tutelage of Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902). He then continued as a assistant to Virchow in a newly founded institute in Berlin. He then moved to Breslau in 1861 as an assistant to Rudolf Heidenhain (1834–1897), becoming a professor of pathological anatomy. In 1865 he became full professor in Bonn and in 1874 in Würzburg, where a new pathological institute was built according to his design (completed in 1878), where he worked until his retirement in 1906.

He was the first to describe the inflammatory background of multiple sclerosis in 1863, when he noted that demyelinated lesions have in their center small vessels that are surrounded by a leukocyte inflammatory infiltrate.

After extensive investigations, he suspected an infectious origin of tuberculosis - even before Robert Koch's detection of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1892. Rindfleisch 's special achievement is the description of the morphologically conspicuous macrophages in typhoid inflammation. His distinction between myocardial infarction and myocarditis in 1890 is also of lasting importance.

Associated eponyms

"Rindfleisch's folds": Usually a single semilunar fold of the serous surface of the pericardium around the origin of the aorta. Also known as the plica semilunaris aortæ.

"Rindfleisch's cells": Historical (and obsolete) name for eosinophilic leukocytes.

Personal note: G. Rindfleisch’s book “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” 2nd edition (1873) is now part of my library. This book was translated from German to French by Dr. Frédéric Gross (1844-1927) , Associate Professor of the Medicine Faculty in Nancy, France. The book is dedicated to Dr. Theodore Billroth (1829-1894), an important surgeon whose pioneering work on subtotal gastrectomies paved the way for today’s robotic bariatric surgery. Dr. Miranda.

Sources:
1. "Stedmans Medical Eponyms" Forbis, P.; Bartolucci, SL; 1998 Williams and Wilkins
2. "Rindfleisch, Georg Eduard von (bayerischer Adel?)" Deutsche Biographie
3. "The pathology of multiple sclerosis and its evolution" Lassmann H. (1999) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 354 (1390): 1635–40.
4. “Traité D' Histologie Pathologique” G.E.
Rindfleisch 2nd Ed (1873) Ballieres et Fils. Paris, Translated by F Gross

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There are many in the world that are fascinated by the life and works of Andreas Vesalius (1514 -1564). This has created a market for “Vesaliana”. These are books, art, medals, and works are related to Vesalius. As an example, an original 1543 Fabrica sells today for 400 thousand dollars! Even the “New Fabrica” by Drs. Garrison and Hast has cuadrupled its value in only two years since its publication!

Some of the most coveted items are stamps that celebrate the illustrious anatomist. Probably the most detailed research on the topic was made by Prof. Omer Steeno and Dr. Maurits Biersbrouck, both contributors to this website. Their research is constantly updated and the latest iteration of their work is “Andreas Vesalius in Philately” published in WordPress.com.

In a recent private communication Prof. Steeno regretted that unscrupulous individuals have taken to forge and falsify stamps. A clear case of this is the stamp collection “Les Grands Scientifiques de la Rennaissance” published in November 23, 2006 by the Republic of Djibouti. The stamps (shown in the accompanying image) depict Leonardo da Vinci, Nicolas Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Andreas Vesalius. As a Vesaliana collector, who would not want this set of stamps placing Vesalius in such company?

Djibouti is an African country that gained its independence from France in 2007 and is located in the horn of East Africa and the opening of the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden.

Drs. Steeno and Beisbrocuk contacted the Djibouti postal service and were able to confirm in February, 2016 that indeed these stamps are false and collectors should be aware.

Sources:
1. “Andreas Veslius in Plhilately” Steeno, O; Biesbrouck, M 2016
2. Private communication. Steeno, O. 2016
3. “On the falsification of a Vesalius Stamp wrongfully ascribed to the postal service of Djibouti” Steeno, O; Biesbrouck, M 2016. EMediTheme 2016 Editor: Menzies, S.

False Vesalius postage stamps discovered

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