Oswald Berkhan
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Oswald Berkhan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 March 1834 Blankenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany |
| Died | 15 February 1917 (aged 82) Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | First person to identify dyslexia |
Oswald Berkhan (19 March 1834 – 15 February 1917) was a German physician.
Born in Blankenburg am Harz, he was one of the initiators of the "Idioten-Anstalt Neuerkerode" (institution for people with mental illnesses), which was thought to be a sanctuary for disabled and ill people. He was also a dedicated reformer of special education schools.[citation needed]
He was the first person to identify dyslexia, in 1881,[1] though the term "dyslexia" was coined several years later (in 1887) by Rudolf Berlin, who was an ophthalmologist in Stuttgart.[2]
Berkhan died in Braunschweig.
- 1863: Beiträge zur Geschichte der Psychiatrie ... 1. Heft. Das Irrenwesen der Stadt Braunschweig in den früheren Jahrhunderten
- 1889: Ueber Störungen der Sprache und der Schriftsprache
- 1899: Über den angeborenen und früh erworbenen Schwachsinn
- 1902: Über den angeborenen oder früh sich zeigenden Wasserkopf (Hydrocephalus internus) und seine Beziehungen zur geistigen Entwickelung
- 1910: Das Wunderkind Christian Heinrich Heineken
- 1910: Otto Pöhler, das frühlesende Braunschweiger Kind
Legacy
In 2016, Oswald Foundation, an accessibility technology company named after Berkhan,[3][4] was established to build products for individuals suffering from disabilities.[5]
