Leonhard Ludwig Finke

Leonhard Ludwig Finke (1747–1837) was a German physician, known for his contributions to medical geography.

He studied medicine from 1769 in the University of Halle, obtaining there in 1772 his doctorate with the dissertation De salubritate febrium in morbis chronicis.

[1] Finke's major work was Versuch einer allgemeinen medicinisch-praktischen Geographie (3 volumes, 1792–95).

In turn, Finke influenced August Hirsch, and was a precursor of Humboldtian medicine.

It was based on the same principles as the zoological maps of Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann, but with indigenous diseases instead of animals.