Ferdinand Ritgen

Education

He studied at Giessen and later worked as district medical officer at Stadtberge.

Career

He is remembered for instruction in the field of midwifery. Subsequently he founded a school for midwives. In 1825/26 and 1837/38 he served as university rector.

Ritgen was editor of the journal Gemeinsame deutsche Zeitschrift für Geburtskunde.

His name is associated with the so-called "Ritgen"s maneuver" (German: Ritgen-Hinterdammgriff), an obstetrical technique defined as delivery of a child"s head by pressure on the perineum while controlling the speed of delivery by pressure with the other hand on the head Ritgen was also interested in natural sciences, publishing works in the fields of botany, geology, zoology and even astronomy.

In 1826 he proposed the dinosaur species name of Megalosaurus conybeari from fragmentary fossils found in England, however, during the following year, Gideon Mantell gave it the binomial of Megalosaurus bucklandii (its present name). In 1828 Ritgen described the North American turtle genus Clemmys.

He was the father of architect Hugo von Ritgen (1811-1889).

Achievements

• In 1814 he attained the chair of surgery and obstetrics at the University of Giessen.

Membership

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.