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                    .. Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy 'LHON' ..


                              .. a Mitochondrial Disorder of the Enzyme 'Complex I' ..






History ...


Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy is named after Theodor Karl Gustav von Leber

Born in Karlsruhe 29 February 1840 and died 17 April 17, 1917 in Heidelburg, Germany.

Over a long career he worked as an ophthalmologist in Vienna, Berlin, Gottingen and Heidelburg.

Various pictures from the Internet:

Leber's portraitLeber's portraitLeber

Leber reading newspaperLeber's portraitT Leber

Leber bustLeber in 1903Leber's gravestone



In 1871 he published :

"Ueber hereditaere und congenital angelegte sehnervenleiden (1871) Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 17:249-291"

Available as a free download (pp. 249-291)

in which he described several families with a familial blindness.



It is interesting to see his nephew was also a specialist in eye diseases:

Alfred Theodor Leber (March 7, 1881-1954) was a German ophthalmologist born in Antwerp.
He was a nephew of renowned ophthalmologist Theodor Leber (1840-1917).
Alfred Leber is considered to be the founder of German tropical ophthalmology.