Ferdinand August Maria Franz von Ritgen (11 October 1787 – 14 April 1867) was a German obstetrician and naturalist born in the Westphalian village of Wulfen (now part of Dorsten).
He studied at Giessen and later worked as district medical officer at Stadtberge.
[2] Ritgen was editor of the journal Gemeinsame deutsche Zeitschrift für Geburtskunde.
[3] His name is associated with the so-called "Ritgen's maneuver" (German: Ritgen-Hinterdammgriff),[4] an obstetrical technique defined as delivery of a child's head by pressure on the perineum while controlling the speed of delivery by pressure with the other hand on the head.
[5] Ritgen was also interested in natural sciences, publishing works in the fields of botany, geology, zoology and even astronomy.