Johann Nepomuk Czermak (17 June 1828 – 16 September 1873) was an Austrian-German physiologist who was a native of Prague.
He studied in Prague, Vienna, Breslau and Würzburg. At Breslau he was greatly influenced by the work of physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787–1869). He became a professor at Graz in 1855, and proceeded to work at several European universities, including Krakow (1856/57) and Leipzig (from 1869). Just prior to his death in 1873, he founded a physiological institute in Leipzig called the "Spectatorium". Czermak was a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Contributions
Czermak is remembered for his contributions made in the field of laryngology. Along with neurologist Ludwig Turck (1810–1868), he is credited for introducing the laryngoscope into medicine. The laryngoscope was created by Spanish singing instructor Manuel Garcia (1805–1906) in 1854 — shortly afterwards, Czermak made modifications to the device, and it soon gained popularity in the medical world. Czermak is also credited for adapting the instrument for examination of the nose and nasopharynx.
He had a keen interest in phonetics, performing extensive studies on the role of the voice and acoustic conditions of the throat, mouth and nasal cavities in the production of consonants.
