[Wilhelm Baum : Pioneer of surgery in Danzig, mentor and teacher of Theodor Billroth, professor in Greifswald and Göttingen].

Wilhelm Baum was born on 10 November 1799 in Elbing and died at 84 years old on 6 September 1883. In Danzig he made a name for himself in the fight against cholera. He was the first honorary citizen of the Hanseatic city. At 43 years old he was appointed to the chair for surgery in Greifswald without having published any works. 1849 he transferred to Göttingen. As a result of his bibliophilism and inclination towards philology, he had collected the largest library on surgery in Germany. He was famous as an academic teacher. Although in 1872 he and his pupil Billroth were among the founders of the German Society of Surgery, he fell into oblivion in the twentieth century. This article describes Baum's education as well as his professional career and private background.