Hoffmann, FRIEDRICH

Hoffmann, FRIEDRICH, a German physician, was born at Halle, 19th February 1660, and died in that city, 12th November 1742. On the conclusion of his studies at Jena and Erfurt he commenced practice at Minden in Westphalia in 1685, but three years later removed to Halberstadt. In 1693 he was appointed to the professorship of Medicine in the newly-constituted university of Halle. He gained a European reputation as a practitioner, and was body physician to Frederick I. of Prussia. His medical theories are now for the most part antiquated, though some of his pharmaceutical preparations, once highly esteemed, are still in use. The most important of his works, Medicina Rationalis Systematica (9 vols. 4to), was published in 1718–40. His Opera Omnia were printed at Geneva in 1740, in six folio volumes, with three supplementary volumes in 1753–60.