Johann Conrad Brunner

Johann Conrad Brunner (1653-1727) was a Swiss anatomist from Diessenhofen. He studied medicine in Schaffhausen, Strasbourg and Paris. At Schaffhausen he studied under Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620-1695), who was also his father-in-law. Beginning in 1686 he was a professor of anatomy and physiology at the University of Heidelberg.

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Brunner is remembered for his experiments and studies of the pancreas and the internal secretions associated with the organ. In 1683 he removed the pancreas from a dog and noticed that the animal experienced extreme thirst and polyuria. He was however, unable to provide the link between the role of the pancreas and diabetes. He published the findings concerning his pancreatic research in a treatise titled Experimenta Nova circa Pancreas. Accedit diatribe de lympha & genuino pancreatis usu.

in 1687 he described tubuloalveolar glands in the submucous layer of the duodenum, which were later named Brunner's glands. Two disorders associated with these glands are:

• Brunner's gland hyperplasia: Hypertrophy of Brunner's glands in the submucosal layer of the duodenum.
• Brunner's gland adenoma: Polyp-like tumours arising from Brunner's glands.

References

• Description of Experimenta Nova circa Pancreas
• Diabetes, Doctors and Dogs