In 1888 he received his doctorate at the University of Leipzig, and as a young assistant worked under Robert Koch (1843–1910) at the Reich Health Office in Berlin. From 1894 he worked as a privat-docent of surgery in Leipzig, where in 1896 he became an associate professor.
In 1888, he earned his doctorate from the University of Leipzig. As a young assistant, he worked under Robert Koch (1843–1910) at the Reich Health Office in Berlin. From 1894, he served as an unpaid lecturer in surgery in Leipzig and became an associate professor in 1896.