Samuel Thomas von Sommerring (January 28, 1755 - March 2, 1830) was a German physician, anatomist, anthropologist, paleontologist and inventor. As one of his many important enterprises, he introduced the vaccination against smallpox. He published many writings in the fields of medicine, anatomy and neuroanatomy, anthropology, paleontology, astronomy and philosophy. He wrote about fossil crocodiles and in 1812 he described Ornithocephalus antiquus now known as Pterodactylus. His investigations on the brain and the nervous system, on the sensory organs, on the embryo and its malformations, and on the structure of the lungs made him one of the most important German anatomists. He discovered the macula in the retina of the human eye. He was also an inventor, having designed a telescope for astronomical observations and an electrical telegraph in 1809. He worked on the refinement of wines, sunspots and many diverse other things. In 1811 he developed the first telegraphic system in Bavaria. He died in 1830 at the age of 75.