Trier, Seligmann Meyer

Danish physician; born in Copenhagen June 7, 1800; died there Dec. 20, 1863. He was the son of poor parents, who destined him for a mercantile career. His unusual brightness, however, attracted the attention of the family's physician, Professor Herholdt, who took an interest in him and sent him to the University of Copenhagen, where he studied medicine. He graduated in 1823, and in 1825 was appointed physician for the Jewish poor, and shortly after assistant physician at the Royal Frederik's Hospital in Copenhagen. In 1827 he obtained the degree of doctor of medicine from his alma mater. In 1828 Trier's attention was called to the French physician Laënnec's great discoveries in the field of pathological anatomy, and to his invention of the stethoscope for examination of the thorax. Trier devoted some time to the intimate study of these discoveries, and published in 1830 his "Anvisning til at Kjende Lunge og Hjærtesygdomme ved Perkussion og Middelbar Avskultation." This work was translated into Swedish (Stockholm, 1831) by Elliot, and it was for a long time the only authentic Danish manual on stethoscopy. From 1831 to 1832 Trier was coeditor of "Samlinger til Kundskab om Kolera," an instructive work on the symptoms and treatment of Asiatic cholera. In 1836 he was appointed a member of the Copenhagen board of health, an appointment which, on account of his religion, caused a great deal of comment. In 1842, on the death of Prof. O. Bang, Trier became physician-in-chief of the Royal Frederik's Hospital, a position he held for eighteen years. From 1848 to 1853 he assisted in the publication of "Hospitals-Meddelelser," a medical journal of prominence. In 1847 his alma mater conferred upon him the title of professor, and in 1857 King Frederick VII. honored him with the title of "Etatsraad." Trier was a member of the board of revisers of the "Pharmacopea Danica" (1863).

Bibliography:

  * C. F. Bricka, Dansk Biografisk Lexicon;
  * Smithand Bladt, Den Danske Lœgestand, 4th ed.;
  * Erslew, Forfatter-Lexicon;
  * Illustreret Tidende, v. 222.



S. F. C.