Friedrich Hessing

He was the thirteenth and youngest child born to Johann Georg Hessing (1793-1858), a farmer, and his wife Maria Barbara, née Klee (1796-1861), a midwife.

The response was positive and he treated thousands of people there; including the writer Max Brod, who was fitted with what came to be known as a Hessingkorsett [de], for a spinal curvature.

Despite this, for many years, the sale of organs and pianos remained his primary source of income and provided most of the funds needed for establishing the sanatorium.

His true breakthrough came in 1899, when he successfully treated Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, German Empress and Queen of Prussia, for an ankle fracture.

His legacy was passed to the Hessing Foundation which still exists today and operates, among things, the Hessing-Klinik [de], a geriatric rehabilitation center.