title: [A farewell to the Thormählen test for melanoma. New facts on the lif of the prematurely deceased Johannes Thormahlen, M.D., (1860-1892)].
abstract: For the first time since the introduction of Thormählen's test in 1887, a biography of its creator has been written and it is presented here. It reveals the tragic fate of a young doctor ill with tuberculosis towards the end of the last century. At the same time, an historic evaluation of the Thormählen's test and its place in the history of clinical chemistry is attempted. A urine test is taken as an example of the wide range of possible diagnostic methods; starting with the very basic observation of dark urine, followed by rudimentary chemical analyses, leading up to the most modern laboratory procedures. Nowadays, the urine test for melanoma must be considered as obsolete.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Geschichte der Medizin und des Krankenhauswesens, Medizinischen Fakultät, Rheinisch-Westfälischen Technischen Hochschule Aachen.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Voswinckel
mesh_terms: D049672:History, 19th Century; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history*
vernacular_title: Zum Abschied von der Thormählen-Reaktion beim Melanom. Neue Kenntnisse über den frühverstorbenen Dr. med. Johannes Thormählen (1860-1892).