born Oct. 17, 1781, Halle, Prussia
died Oct. 31, 1833, Halle
German anatomist.
He was the first to describe the embryonic cartilage (Meckel cartilage) that becomes part of the lower jaw in fishes, amphibians, and birds and also described a congenital pouch (Meckel diverticulum) of the small intestine. He wrote a treatise on pathological anatomy and an atlas of human abnormalities.