The surgeon and his intention: Gustav Simon (1824-1876), his first planned nephrectomy and further contributions to urology

One of the historic landmarks in urology is the first planned nephrectomy performed in 1869 by Gustav Simon of Heidelberg (1824-1877). In the history of medicine the reflections and considerations of the spe- cialized surgeon reveal distinguished analyses of the ''case'' and, thus, the beginning of a modern scientific discussion of a patient's quality of life. Available pri- mary and secondary sources were screened to present a diAerentiated...