Friedrich Hoffmann
Friedrich Hoffmann (1660-1742) was a
German physician. He studied and wrote on topics as
pediatrics, mineral waters, and
meteorology; introduced many drugs into practice (i.e. Hoffmann's anodyne, or compound spirit of ether); and was among the first to describe several diseases, including
appendicitis and
German measles, and to recognize the regulatory role of the
nervous system. He taught and practiced at
Halle from 1693. His approach to
physiology was mechanistic, viewing disease as a disruption of the body's tonus (thus the term tonic for his remedies).
He wrote a witchcraft book "Dissertation de Potentia Diaboli" for his student Büching.