Christian Andreas Doppler was born in Salzburg, Austria, on November 29, 1803. His father was a stonemason, and he was expected to join the family business, but due to his poor health condition, he persuaded academics. He graduated in physics from the Polytechnical Institute of Vienna in 1825 and later, he went to the University of Vienna to study mathematics, machines, and astronomy.[1] At the end of his study, he has worked with Professor Burg for 4 years and in 1831, he published his first paper “A contribution to the theory of parallels.”[1] Unfortunately, for many years, he failed to get an academic position, so he supported himself by working as a bookkeeper at a cotton factory near the city of Bruck. He was disappointed and decided to move to the USA where he was offered a position as a professor at the Technical Secondary School in Prague and later at the polytechnic school. In 1836, he married Mathilda Sturm and together the couple had five children.

1. © 2019 Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 53
History of Medicine
Curriculum in Cardiology
Introduction
Christian Andreas Doppler was born in Salzburg, Austria, on
November 29, 1803. His father was a stonemason, and he was
expected to join the family business, but due to his poor health
condition, he persuaded academics. He graduated in physics
from the Polytechnical Institute of Vienna in 1825 and later,
he went to the University of Vienna to study mathematics,
machines, and astronomy.[1]
At the end of his study, he has
worked with Professor Burg for 4 years and in 1831, he
published his first paper “A contribution to the theory of
parallels.”[1]
Unfortunately, for many years, he failed to get an
academic position, so he supported himself by working as a
bookkeeper at a cotton factory near the city of Bruck. He was
disappointed and decided to move to the USA where he was
offered a position as a professor at the Technical Secondary
School in Prague and later at the polytechnic school. In 1836,
he married Mathilda Sturm and together the couple had five
children.
In 1842, at a meeting of the Natural Science Section of the
Royal Bohemian Society in Prague, he presented his famous
work Über das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne (Concerning
the Colored Light of Double Stars), which was later published
in 1843.[2]
This was his first work which stated the Doppler
effect – that the observed frequency of a wave depends on
the relative speed of the source and the observer. In 1944,
due to his deteriorating health, he was forced to take sick
leave and later in 1946, he could resume back to his duties.
In 1947, he left Prague and moved to Chemnitz in Germany
as professor of mathematics, physics, and mechanics at the
Academy of Mines and Forests. Due to industrial problems,
Doppler’s family was forced to move to Vienna where he was
appointed as the director of the Physical Institute in 1850.[2]
By this time, his health again started deteriorating, and he
started suffering from chest pain and breathing problem, with
symptoms like tuberculosis. In 1952, he traveled to Venice,
Italy, for a better climate, but his health did not improve and
finally on March 17, 1853, he died of pulmonary disease in
his wife’s arm.
Doppler Echocardiography
Christian Doppler in 1842 did not know that his investigation
in the field of astronomy will be used in health care.
Doppler echocardiography was not in use till the 1970s until
Holen et al.[3]
and Hatle et al.[4]
refined the technique for clinical
use. Doppler effect is an increase (or decrease) in the frequency
of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer
move toward (or away from) each other. In echocardiography,
the moving red blood cells and the myocardial tissues and
structures are the targets. When an ultrasound beam is directed
toward these moving targets, the transducer determines the
frequency shift (Δf) which is the difference between the
transmitted frequency of the transducer (ft) and the received
frequency (fr).[5]
The frequency shift is related to the velocity
Christian Andreas Doppler
Shivani Vashistha, Soumi Das
Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India
CA Doppler described the doppler effect which was a shift in the frequency of light. This theory was later used for multiple applications in
electromagnetics, astronomy, physics, aviation and health sciences. The "Doppler effect" is used extensively in cardiology.
Keywords: Christian Andreas Doppler, doppler effect, ultrasound
Abstract
Address for correspondence: Dr. Soumi Das,
Department of Cardiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India.
E‑mail: soumidas05@gmail.com
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How to cite this article: Vashistha S, Das S. Christian andreas doppler.
J Pract Cardiovasc Sci 2019;5:53-4.
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2. Vashistha and Das: Christian Doppler
Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences ¦ Volume 5 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ January-April 201954
of the moving target (v), transmitted frequency (ft), and
the angle between the direction of ultrasound beam and the
direction of the moving target, which is similar to the Doppler
equation.[5]
The information that is obtained from Doppler
echocardiography is flow velocity, direction of the flow, the
timing of the signal with the cardiac events, and intensity of
the flow. There are two forms of Doppler echocardiography:
the pulse wave and continuous wave.
The pulse‑wave Doppler samples velocity in a particular site
in the form of a pulse; therefore, limited range information can
be picked up. Color Doppler is based on pulse‑wave Doppler
and is mainly used to pick up valvular disease.[6]
Continuous‑wave Doppler transmits and receives continuous
signals from moving red blood cells. Continuous‑wave Doppler
is used in the evaluation of valve stenosis or regurgitation and
indirectly, it is used in determining the pulmonary arterial
systolic pressure.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References
1. Coman IM. Christian Andreas Doppler – The man and his legacy. Eur J
Echocardiogr 2005;6:7‑10.
2. White DN. Johann Christian Doppler and his effect – A brief history.
Ultrasound Med Biol 1982;8:583‑91.
3. Holen J, Aaslid R, Landmark K, Simonsen S. Determination of pressure
gradient in mitral stenosis with a non‑invasive ultrasound Doppler
technique. Acta Med Scand 1976;199:455‑60.
4. Hatle L, Brubakk A, Tromsdal A, Angelsen B. Noninvasive assessment
of pressure drop in mitral stenosis by Doppler ultrasound. Br Heart J
1978;40:131‑40.
5. Anavekar NS, Oh JK. Doppler echocardiography: A contemporary
review. J Cardiol 2009;54:347‑58.
6. Katsi V, Felekos I, Kallikazaros I. Christian Andreas Doppler:
A legendary man inspired by the dazzling light of the stars. Hippokratia
2013;17:113‑4.
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