Viktor Urbantschitsch


Viktor Urbantschitsch was an Austrian otologist.

Biography

Viktor was the son of Alois Urbantschitsch, a Slovene physician from Upper Carniola, and his wife, Wilhelmine Mengele. He studied at the University of Vienna, receiving his medical doctorate in 1870 and his surgical degree in 1871. In 1873 he obtained his habilitation in otology and several years later was named head of the otology department at the general polyclinic in Vienna. In 1885 he became an associate professor and in 1907 succeeded Adam Politzer as head of the university ear hospital.
He is considered to be one of the founders of modern otology. He focused his attention on the physiology and psycho-physiology of the ear, and researched the influence that head movements had on sound perception. He stressed the significance of residual hearing and developed various diagnostic and rehabilitative methods. He was an early practitioner of electric current as a means of treatment, and also introduced a manual massage technique for the Eustachian tube.

Personal life

Viktor had four children with his wife, Caroline:
  1. Minna Wilhelmine Urbantschitsch, married Pero Despic, had one daughter.
  2. Richard Urbantschitsch, never married.
  3. Ernst Urbantschitsch, married Hildegard "Hilde".... Had one son, Victor Urbancic.
  4. Rudolf von Urban, married Friederike "Fritzi" Rosali Persicaner, and divorced. Had two children. Later married Maria Mayen and had one daughter together. Rudolf and Maria were the maternal grandparents of Christoph Waltz.

Selected works

Lehrbuch der Ohrenheilkunde, 1880. Über subjektive optische Anschauungsbilder, 1907.Über Störungen des Gedächtnisses infolge von Erkrankungen des Ohres, 1918.