Touton, Karl

Physician, Botanist

born: 12.05.1858 in Alzey

died: 27.09.1934 in Wiesbaden

Touton studied medicine in Würzburg and Freiburg im Breisgau, where he received his doctorate in 1881. He was particularly interested in dermatology, which he studied in Tübingen and Vienna after completing his doctorate. He then worked at a clinic in Augsburg and subsequently at the University of Breslau.

In 1885, he settled in Wiesbaden as a specialist in dermatology. He continued his research as a dermatologist, concentrating on combating venereal diseases and researching allergic skin diseases caused by plants; he was awarded the title of professor in 1907. His most important publication in this field is the work published in 1925: "Hauterkrankungen durch Pflanzen und Pflanzenprodukte. A report on the results with special consideration of the question of idiosyncrasy".

In addition to his profession, Touton was also active in botany and studied the genus Hieracium (hawkweeds), on whose systematics and distribution in the Rhineland, the Alps and the central European low mountain ranges he published numerous works from 1906 onwards. His herbarium (approx. 20,000 specimens) is one of the most important special collections of his time. It arrived in Berlin in the 1930s and 1940s, where it is kept in the Botanical Museum in Dahlem.

After his death, Touton was cremated and buried in the main cemetery in Würzburg.