his time in Freiburg, Langerhans also travelled regularly to Sweden and Norway and, in the summer of 1873, together with Albin Hoffmann, to Italy. Finally, a few days after his 27th birthday, Paul Langerhans was appointed Professor Extraordinarius in Freiburg. To celebrate this, he and his friend Albin Hoffmann, who had travelled from Dorpat, journeyed together to Switzerland – the two did not know that this would be their last happy trip together. On September 11, 1874, Prof. Nothnagel diagnosed Paul Langerhans with pulmonary tuberculosis. Nothnagel was a good friend of Langerhans in Freiburg. Later, when Nothnagel held the chair in Jena, Langerhans travelled to Jena to continue to consult him.
After having received the news about Paul’s diagnosis Hoffmann wrote to him from Estonia, dated September 20, 1872:
My dear friend,
You can imagine how I was touched by your letter. You must absolutely not stay north of the Alps until late October. It would be a pleasure for me to visit you in Cairo. We may give up hopes and plans, but we are young enough to start new ones, and the friendships will continue. I am convinced that everywhere in the world you can find interesting work, you should not consider two years of life in Germany as valid as 20 years in Egypt.
In the case of tuberculosis, the most important medical advice at the time was to escape the cold winter in the north. Langerhans took his friend’s suggestions seriously. He went to Naples, allegedly to work for one semester at the Zoological Institute there. However, he struggled to work and spent the winter in Capri with fever attacks. He had to extend his vacation several times and finally decided to move on to Madeira.
Madeira, the island of eternal spring, was considered, in the 19th century, to have an ideal climate for people with tuberculosis. Many wealthy German and English tuberculosis patients were sent there. It was once again his rich grandmother who financed Langerhans’ travel to and stay in Madeira. There have never been any controlled investigations as to whether Madeira really had a positive influence on the course of the disease. But at least the sick member of the family was far away and did not cough blood any more at home! Later the “Zauberberg hospitals” in the Alps came into fashion as an exile of people with tuberculosis. In October 1875, Langerhans arrived in Funchal, Madeira. He did not know anyone there and lived, bedridden, in a hotel where he continued to suffer from fever attacks. After a few months though he felt better and rented an apartment. He even began zoological research again. Through Rudolf Virchow he managed to receive a scholarship of 2,000 Reichsmarks from the Berlin Academy.
In 1878 Langerhans travelled to Berlin. For Prof. Ehlers he brought along a collection of annelids (also known as ringed worms) and prepared publications about them. He also visited Prof. Nothnagel in Jena to ask for his medical advice. Langerhans finally quit his employment in Freiburg and travelled from Berlin to Tenerife, but returned to Madeira in July 1879. He continued his research on annelids – some of them today are still named after Langerhans [6].
Fig. 6. Handbook on Madeira by Paul Langerhans, 1885 [7, 9].
In the meantime, his grandmother passed away and he had to earn his own living. As a result, Langerhans opened a private practice, specifically for German tuberculosis patients. One of his patients was the wealthy Alfred Ebarth, who hoped to improve his tuberculosis with his wife, Margarethe, and his daughter on Madeira.
The Ebarth family arrived in Funchal in October 1879. Langerhans treated the tuberculosis-stricken Alfred for many years. He also treated the Ebarth’s young son, who died of diphtheria on Madeira at the age of 1.5 years. Alfred Ebarth died in April 1883.
Paul must have been in love with the wife of his patient for some time, even prior to Alfred’s death. Margarethe promised to marry Paul provided he respected a waiting period of 2 years after the passing of her husband. In January 1885, she informed her 8-year-old daughter Frieda that she had promised the “uncle professor” to become his wife. Langerhans married a very wealthy lady. Her father, Gustav Jordan, was owner of a manor 50 km north of Berlin in Kuhhorst near Nauen. Her deceased husband owned a manor near Stettin and an important paper factory in Spechthausen, Brandenburg, which had been built at the suggestion of Frederick the Great. In 1799 the factory began producing banknotes and from 1874 to 1945 this paper mill produced the paper for almost all banknotes produced by the German Reich. The paper for the counterfeit pound bills dropped by the Nazis over London during the “Operation Bernhard” during World War II to destabilize the British currency also came from this factory. From 1882, all 100 Reichsmark notes were printed in the factory for the entire German Reich – the family of the wife of Paul Langerhans not only earned a lot of money, they literally printed it.
On June 13, 1885, the couple married in Berlin – a great wedding celebration for two distinguished families. It was probably the happiest time of his life. First the two undertook a honeymoon trip through Germany. Then, in Madeira they rented a spacious villa, employed a caretaker couple, a governess for the daughter, and other house staff. In the same year as his wedding, Langerhans also published a manual for Madeira (Fig. 6). It contained maps of the island and the capital Funchal. The history, flora, and fauna of the autonomous Portuguese region are described in detail. The manual also contained many hints for tuberculosis patients as well as a complete list of all 93 quintas which were offered for rent on the island at the time. Even the Merian booklet, published in 1969, mentions that there is no better book on Madeira as the one written by Langerhans [7].
Fig. 7. Paul and Margarethe Langerhans and Frieda Ebart in Funchal, 1886 [9].
Fig. 8. The Quinta Lambert in Funchal, the last home of the Langerhans family [9].
In 1886 Paul’s state of health deteriorated. Together, he and Margarethe decided to move from their house situated in the middle of the city to the seaside (Fig. 7). They chose the most beautiful villa in Funchal: the Quinta Lambert in the Rua da Imperatriz Amalia (Fig. 8). It was enthroned in a large park above the harbor. With an outlandish annual rent of 400 pounds it was the most expensive property on the whole island. Although initially only planned as a summer residence, it was so beautiful that the family decided to move there permanently from their city apartment, bringing with them their magnificent Bechstein piano. The Quinta Lambert (also Quinta das Angustias) was replaced in 1970 by a new building which became the official residence of the regional government of Madeira in 1984. The beautiful park is a tourist attraction.
Fig. 9. The English cemetery in Funchal with the tomb of Prof. Paul Langerhans (photo Dr. V. Jörgens).
Unfortunately, the family’s luck in the Villa Lambert
