Wilhelm His

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Wilhelm His

1831-1904

Swiss anatomist who studied the cornea, lymph vessels and glands, the thymus, the central nervous system, and the heart. His recognized the differences between true body cavities and linings, such as the endothelia of blood vessels, and he delineated the embryonic development of individual organs and organs systems. He constructed the first microtome to section tissue, and advanced the use of photography, wax model embryos, standardized anatomical nomenclature, and embryology charts as teaching and research tools.

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