Alfred Stieda
Eugen Julius Karl Paul Alfred Stieda (1869-1945) was a German Surgeon
Alfred Stieda is best remembered for his name’s association with the Pellegrini-Stieda lesion and Stieda fracture. Born on November 29, 1869 in Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia), he was the son of renowned anatomist Christian Hermann Ludwig Stieda (1837–1918) and belonged to a distinguished medical family. He studied medicine at the universities of Tübingen, Königsberg, and Geneva, earning his doctorate in 1891 with a thesis on comparative anatomy.
Stieda trained in prominent German surgical centres, including Rostock, Giessen, and Königsberg, where he worked under influential figures such as Anton von Eiselberg, Carl Garré, and Erich Lexer. He received his habilitation in 1905 and was appointed titular professor of surgery at Königsberg in 1907. In 1908, he became head physician at the Red Cross Hospital in Bertaheim. His clinical and anatomical observations on ossifications around the medial femoral condyle, later correlated with trauma to the medial collateral ligament or gastrocnemius tendon, established his legacy in orthopaedic and radiologic literature.
In 1945, as Soviet forces approached Königsberg, Stieda was reportedly the last physician to remain in the city. He fled only at the last moment, eventually reaching Stralsund. According to a 1954 memorial in Das Ostpreußenblatt, he died by suicide in a local clinic, unable to reconcile the destruction of his city and the end of his professional identity. He was 75. His legacy endures through the radiological eponym that still bears his name.
Biography
- Born on November 29, 1869 in Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia); son of the anatomist Christian Hermann Ludwig Stiel (1837-1918) and Franziska Langermann
- 1891 – Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Königsberg, thesis Ueber die Kloake und das Receptaculum seminis der weiblichen Tritonen
- 1891–1905 Medical work at clinics in Rostock, Giessen (women’s clinic), and Königsberg, including surgical training under Anton Freiherr von Eiselberg (1860–1939), Carl Garré (1857–1928), and Erich Lexer (1867–1937).
- 1905 – Habilitated at the University of Königsberg in surgery.
- 1907 – Appointed titular professor of surgery, University of Königsberg
- 1908 – Became Chief of Surgery, Bertaheim Red Cross Hospital, Königsberg.
- 1908 – Published on orthopaedic radiographic findings, notably ossification at the medial femoral condyle now known as the Pellegrini–Stieda lesion.
- 1919 – Married Elsbeth Laura Auguste Ida Gassner in Königsberg.
- 1945 – Fled Königsberg during Soviet advance; died by suicide in a clinic in Stralsund
Medical Eponyms
Köhler-Pellegrini-Stieda lesion (Pellegrini-Stieda disease)
Ossified post-traumatic lesions at (or near) the medial femoral collateral ligament adjacent to the margin of the medial femoral condyle
Stieda presented 5 males (aged 20-48 years) following traumatic injury with knee radiograph findings of semilunar-shaped shadows around the superior border of the femoral medial epicondyle in a 1908 publication. On cadaveric dissection, he found the lesion to be situated at the origin of the medial head of the gastrocnemius.
…it undoubtedly concerns a rupture of the upper part of the internal epicondyle, and in our clinically observed cases, we may also well suppose an analog injury, especially since the position of the shadow in the X-ray fits more with a tear of the muscle insertion (upper portion of the internal epicondyle) than with a tear of the insertion of the inner sideband (lower portion of the internal epicondyle). Further, whether the projection comes off by direct force or because of muscle pull is an interesting question.
Stieda 1908
- Pellegrini-Stieda syndrome – restricted range of movement and pain in the presence of the Pellegrini-Stieda lesion.
- Stieda Fracture – avulsion injury of the medial collateral ligament at the medial femoral condyle
Major Publications
- Stieda A. Ueber die Kloake und das Receptaculum seminis der weiblichen Tritonen Theses 1891
- Stieda A. Ueber die Visirplastik zum Ersatz der Unterlippe. Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, 1899; 25(13): 201-203
- Stieda A. Beitrag zur Chirurgie der Gallenwege. 1905
- Stieda A. Über umschriebene Knochenverdichtungen im Bereich der Substantia spongiosa im Röntgenbilde. Bruns’ Beiträge zur klinischen Chirurgie. 1905; 45: 700–703
- Stieda A. Uber eine typische verletzung am unteren femurende. Archiv für Klinische Chirurgie, 1908; 85: 815-826
- Stieda A. Ueber einen im jugendlichen Alter Kastrierten. Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, 1908; 34(13): 543-544
- Stieda A. Coxa valga rachitica. Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, 1909; 35(30): 1301-1304
Controversies
Date of Birth Confusion
The birth date of Alfred Stieda has often been incorrectly recorded as December 11, 1869, including in biographical references and medical eponym databases. However, multiple independent primary sources confirm his actual date of birth as November 29, 1869.
Sources include his 1919 Königsberg civil marriage certificate, which explicitly states “neunundzwanzigsten November achtzehnhundert neunundsechszig”, and his Estonian Lutheran parish baptismal record, which notes birth on November 29, 1869 and baptism on January 4, 1870.
Circumstances of Death
For decades, the details surrounding Alfred Stieda’s death in 1945 remained unclear. Recent archival accounts and a 1954 memorial in Das Ostpreußenblatt confirm that he died by suicide in Stralsund after fleeing Königsberg in the final weeks of World War II. A lifelong resident of the city and deeply committed to his medical work there, Stieda reportedly remained one of the last physicians in Königsberg before being forced to evacuate. The trauma of displacement, loss of profession, and Soviet occupation are thought to have contributed to his decision. This testimony provides vital historical clarity regarding his final days.
Original
English
Als der einzige Sohn der Stadt Stallingrad mit einem Evakuierungszug zur Sommerzeit nach Stralsund entrann, hat er in der dortigen Klinik sein Leben selbst beendet. Nur die Amerikaner erfuhren davon, als sie eintrafen. Mit seinem Gepäck – einem Koffer und seinem Geigenkasten – hatte er sich zurückgezogen, als wäre nichts mehr geblieben.
As the sole physician from Königsberg to escape on an evacuation train to Stralsund during the summer, he ended his life there in a local hospital. Only the Americans discovered it upon their arrival. With just his suitcase and violin case, he had withdrawn — as though nothing remained for him.
References
Biography
- Schroeder, P. “…leuchtet lange noch zurück” Vom guten alten Hausarzt in Ostpreußen. Das Ostpreußenblatt, 18 September 1954; Jahrgang 5, Folge 38, Seite 10.
- Birth and Name [Eugen Julius Karl Paul Alfred]. Estonia, Lutheran Parish Registers [Source 1, Source 2]
- Birth, Name. Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945 [Source 1, Source 2]
- Bibliography. Stieda, Alfred. WorldCat Identities
Eponymous terms
- Hunter TB, Peltier LF, Lund PJ. Radiologic history exhibit. Musculoskeletal eponyms: who are those guys? Radiographics. 2000 May-Jun;20(3):819-36.
- Wiegerinck JI, Somford MP. Review of Stieda’s article (1908) on the Pellegrini-Stieda lesion. Journal of ISAKOS: Joint Disorders & Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Jul 2016, 1 (4) 214-218.
- Somford MP, Nieuwe Weme RA, Hoornenborg D, Wiegerinck JI, van Raay JJAM, Brouwer RW, Williams A. Biographical background and origin of common eponymous terms in orthopedic surgery: anatomy and fractures in knee surgery. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2018 Jan;28(1):79-84.
Eponym
the person behind the name
