Oswald Berkhan (19 March 1834 – 15 February 1917) was a German physician.
Oswald Berkhan | |
---|---|
Born | Blankenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany | 19 March 1834
Died | 15 February 1917 Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany | (aged 82)
Nationality | German |
Occupation | Physician |
Known for | First person to identify dyslexia |
Born in Blankenburg am Harz, he was one of the initiators of the "Idioten-Anstalt Neuerkerode" (institution for people with mental illnesses), which was thought to be a sanctuary for disabled and ill people. He was also a dedicated reformer of special education schools.[citation needed]
He was the first person to identify dyslexia, in 1881,[1] though the term "dyslexia" was coined several years later (in 1887) by Rudolf Berlin, who was an ophthalmologist in Stuttgart.[2]
Berkhan died in Braunschweig.
In 2016, Oswald Foundation, an accessibility technology company named after Berkhan,[3][4] was established to build products for individuals suffering from disabilities.[5]