Christian Albert Theodur Billroth was born in 1829 in Bergen, on the island of Rügen, Prussia and is largely acknowledged to be the father of modern abdominal surgery.
One of the most famous surgeons of his day, he performed the first oesophagectomy, laryngectomy and gastrectomy for stomach cancer. A passionate violinist and a music critic, he was one of the few close friends of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) and frequently held soirées and concerts in his Vienna home as a venue for Brahms to “try out” his unpublished works and meet high society, and potential patrons, of the day.
The young Brahms was a frequent guest at the Billroth home, and remained close to Billroth until quite late in the surgeon’s life. Brahms dedicated his string quartets Opus 51 to Theodur Billroth in 1873.
