Saemisch specialized in eye disorders, particularly diseases of the conjunctiva, sclera and cornea.[1][2] He is credited for providing descriptions of vernal conjunctivitis and a type of corneal ulcer called "ulcus serpens corneae". With Alfred Carl Graefe (1830-1899), a cousin of Albrecht von Graefe, he was co-editor of a multi-volume manual on ophthalmology titled Handbuch der gesammten Augenheilkunde.
Associated eponyms
"Saemisch's ulcer": a serpiginous corneal ulcer; ulcus serpens corneae.
"Saemisch's operation": An operation for hypopyon ulcer.
Written works
Klinische Beobachtungen aus der Augenheilanstalt in Wiesbaden. With Arnold Pagenstecher (1837-1913) and Alexander Pagenstecher. two booklets, Wiesbaden, 1861-1862.
Beiträge zur normalen und pathologischen Anatomie des Auges, Leipzig, 1862.
Handbuch der gesammten Augenheilkunde (by Edwin Theodor Saemisch and Alfred Carl Graefe).
First edition, (17 volumes) from 1874 to 1889.
Second edition, (15 volumes in 41) 1899-1918.
Third edition, from 1912.
Das Ulcus corneae serpens und seine Therapie; eine klinische Studie. Bonn, 1870.[3]