Christoph Theodor Aeby

His main scientific interest comparative anatomy and his studies were said to be facilitated by a large collection of bones, which he assembled in Bern. He is particularly noted for his work on the bronchial tree, which was published as a monograph in 1880. Through his work, a term in anthropology was named after him - the "Aeby's plane", which pertains to the plane through the nasion and brasion.

Christoph Theodor Aeby
Christoph Theodor Aeby (ca. 1880)
Born	(1835-02-25)February 25, 1835
Died	July 7, 1885(1885-07-07) (aged 50) Berlin
Nationality	Swiss
Occupation(s)	Anatomist, anthropologist, academic
Known for	Aeby's plane
Academic work
Notable students	Stefania Berlinerblau, César Roux
Main interests	Comparative anatomy
Notable works	Der Bronchialbaum der Säugethiere und des Menschen; Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Mikrocephalie

Aeby was born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, France. He was the son of a farmer who owned a large tract of land in Alsace. He studied medicine at Basel and Göttingen. In 1863 he was named a professor of anatomy at the University of Bern (1866/67, academic rector), and in 1884 at the University of Prague as successor to Carl Toldt. Some of his noted students include the surgeons Stefania Berlinerblau and César Roux.

He died in Bilin, Bohemia at the age of 50.

He is best known for his contributions to anthropology, which include a new and valuable craniometric method. He performed research of microcephaly, publishing Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Mikrocephalie (1874) as a result. He also demonstrated the influence of atmospheric pressure on the several joints of the human body, and conducted significant studies involving the upper respiratory tract. In 1878, Aeby is also credited for describing the muscle rectus labi proprius.

A mountain climber, he was co-author of Das Hochgebirge von Grindelwald (The high mountains of Grindelwald, 1865).

• "Aeby's muscle": The depressor labii inferioris muscle.
• "Aeby's plane": A craniometric plane. It passes through the nasion and basion perpendicular to the median plane of the cranium.

• Eine neue Methode zur bestimmung der Schädelform von Menschen und Säugethieren, 1862 – A new method for determining the shape of the skull in humans and mammals
• Die Schädelformen des Menschen und der Affen : eine morphologische Studie, 1867 – The skull shapes of humans and monkeys: a morphological study.
• Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Mikrocephalie, 1874 – Contribution to the knowledge of microcephaly.
• Schema des Faserverlaufes im menschlichen Gehirn und Rückenmark, 1884 – Schema involving the fiber path in the human brain and spinal cord.
• Der Bronchialbaum der Säugethiere und des Menschen : nebst Bemerkungen über den Bronchialbaum der Vögel und Reptilien, 1880 – The bronchial tract of mammals and humans.

  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "The new international encyclopedia". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.