In 1848, von Gudden earned his doctorate from the
University of Halle and became an intern at the asylum in
Siegburg under
Carl Wigand Maximilian Jacobi (1775–1858). From 1851 to 1855 he worked as a psychiatrist under
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Roller (1802–1878) in the mental asylum at Illenau in
Baden, then from 1855 to 1869, served as director of the mental institution (
Unterfränkische Landes-Irrenanstalt) in
Werneck. In 1869 he was appointed director of the
Burghölzli Hospital, as well as professor of psychiatry at the
University of Zürich. In 1872 he was appointed
Obermedicinalrath and director of the Upper Bavarian Kreis-Irrenanstalt (district mental asylum), located in
Munich. Shortly afterwards, he became a professor of psychiatry at the
University of Munich. Gudden made many contributions in the field of
neuroanatomy, especially in his work of mapping and describing the paths, connections, origins/termini and neuroanatomical centers of
cranial and
optic nerve networks. The commissural fibers of the
optic tract are called the
commissure of Gudden in his honor, and he is credited for developing a specialized
microtome for sectioning the
brain for pathological study. Among his well-known students and assistants are
Emil Kraepelin (1856–1926),
Franz Nissl (1860–1919),
Auguste-Henri Forel (1848–1931),
Sigbert Josef Maria Ganser (1853–1931) and
Oskar Panizza (1853–1921). As director of mental institutions, Gudden advocated a no-restraint policy, humane treatment of the mentally ill, communal social interaction amongst patients, and a well-trained medical staff. These were considered innovative, if not revolutionary ideas concerning mental health treatment in the mid-19th century. Gudden was a respected psychiatrist in Germany and was appointed personal physician to King
Ludwig II of Bavaria. ==Death and legacy==