TH. BERCHEM ince its foundation 400 years ago, Wurzburg University has 1 S followed its purpose of safeguarding tradition and acting as a meeting point for scientists from horne and abroad in short, it is a forum for national and international exchange, in accordance with its memorandum of establishment. The historie role of Wur- zburg University has been accentuated by its faculty of medicine, surgery in particular. One name, indeed, illuminates its excellent scientific reputation, a name representing a whole dynasty of scholars Siebold. This year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Philipp Franz von Siebold's birth. He is one of Wurzburg's most famous scholars. However, we should remember that his grandfa- ther, Carl Caspar, originally contributed to a considerable en- hancement of this university's reputation he was the founder and first head of surgery. CI like the idea that he came from my hometown of Nideggen in the Eifel region, but this is only of mar- ginal interest. When C