Paul Silex Explained

Paul Silex (20 March 1858, Gorgast  - 20 January 1929, Berlin) was a German ophthalmologist. He is known for contributions made involving war-related blindness.

He studied medicine at the Universities of Halle, Berlin and Breslau, obtaining his doctorate in 1883. Afterwards he served as an assistant to ophthalmologist Ludwig Laqueur (1839-1909) in Strasbourg, followed by several years (1884-1897) as an assistant to Karl Ernst Theodor Schweigger (1830-1905) in Berlin.

He received his habilitation in 1890, becoming an associate professor in 1897.^[1] In Berlin he opened a private clinic at St. Maria Victoria-Krankenhaus.^[2]

Associated eponym

• "Silex's sign": A pathognomonic sign of congenital syphilis, indications being radial furrows about the mouth.^[3]

Selected writings

• Compendium der Augenheilkunde, 1899 - Compendium of ophthalmology; (published over several editions).
• Über das Sehvermögen der Eisenbahnbeamten, 1894 - On the vision of railway officials.^[4]
• Neue Wege in der Kriegsblindenfürsorge, 1916 - New approaches to war-blind welfare.^[5]

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=ACcJAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Paul+Silex%22+1858&pg=RA1-PA185 Geschichte der Augenheilkunde, Volume 8
2. http://www.zvab.com/buch-suchen/textsuche/schweigger-augenheilkunde ZVAB.com
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=MOkBAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Silex%27s+sign%22&pg=PA244 The journal of the Kansas Medical Society, Volume 18
4. http://www.zeno.org/Pagel-1901/A/Silex,+Paul
5. http://www.idref.fr/082582157 IDREF.fr