Copyright © 2005, The European Society of Cardiology
Christian Andreas Doppler – the man and his legacy
Iliescu Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, 258 Fundeni Way, sect. 2, 022328 Bucharest, Romania
Received 17 March 2004; received in revised form 19 May 2004; accepted after revision 2 June 2004.
* Tel.: +40-21-240-2224; fax: +40-21-240-2224. iocoman{at}pcnet.ro
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Abstract |
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Aims Reminding the life and legacy of the Austrian scientist who discovered the famous ‘Doppler Effect’.
Methods and results C.A. Doppler was born the 29th of November 1803 in Salzburg. After studies in Linz and Vienna, he graduated in mathematics, became assistant at the University and later worked as professor in Prague. Back to Vienna, he was appointed as professor at the Polytechnic School and—in 1850—as first director of the new Institute of Physics. C.A. Doppler did publish on magnetism, electricity, optics and astronomy.
He remains in the history of science mainly due to the discovery presented (May 25, 1842) at the Royal Bohemian Society of Science entitled "On the colored light of the double stars and certain other stars of the heavens"; the paper described (applied to light) the shift of frequency which bears nowadays his name. The theory was later experimentally proven and—extended for any electromagnetic and acoustic waves—got miriads of applications in astronomy, physics, aviation, meteorology and health science. Satomura in Japan (1955) published it's first ultrasound vascular application—with successive achievements in the next decades.
Conclusion Doppler ultrasonography became the main noninvasive instrument for functional assessment of heart and vessels.
Keywords: C.A. Doppler; Doppler effect; Medical applications