Heinrich Quincke, who described disseminated blotchy edema of the skin, was born in Frankfurt-on-Oder, Germany, the son of a successful physician. The young Quincke prepared for medicine at the universities of Berlin, Würzburg, and Heidelberg under some of the best medical scientists of his day, including Virchow, Müller, Kölliker, Helmholtz, and Busen.1 He served for three years under Frerichs at the Charité in Berlin; at the early age of 30, he was called to Bern as professor of internal medicine following the retirement of Naunyn. Five years later he moved to Kiel, where he remained for 30 years.
Quincke is described as an excellent teacher and a calm and sympathetic physician. His capacities for observation at the bedside were remarkable and embraced a large number of subjects in internal medicine, with several diversions into clinical neurology. He was not a particularly popular consultant but compensated for this lack by