Rudolf Wlassak (27 March 1865, Brno - 10 March 1930, Vienna) was an Austrian physiologist and neurologist. He was a pioneer in the hospital treatment of alcoholism.
He was born in Brno, Austrian Empire (now Czech Republic). He studied medicine at the University of Leipzig, and in 1893 qualified as a lecturer in Zürich. After time spent in Rome and Florence, he started a neurological practice in Vienna Neustadt (1919), and worked with Emil Redlich at the Maria-Theresien-Schlössel Hospital in Vienna. In 1922 he became director of a sanatorium for alcoholics called "Am Steinhof".[1] [2]
He conducted research on the structure of cerebellum and on the physiology of the senses and spatial perception.[2]
He was active in the treatment of alcoholics in Vienna, and more widely in Europe. He is remembered for his contributions towards the workers' temperance movement.[1] In 1897 he published "Gegen den Alkohol" and his "Grundriss der Alkoholfrage" was published in 1922. From 1902 onward, he was editor of the journal "Der Abstinent".[1] In 1907 his treatise, The influence of alcohol upon the functions of the brain, was published in English.[3]
He died in Vienna.