Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow, a prominent personality in the history of medical science was a renowned and influential German physician and pathologist of the 19th century. Also tagged as ‘the father of modern pathology’ and ‘Pope of medicine’, he made path breaking progress in pathological processes through his ‘cell theory’. He analysed and emphasised that the diseases caused in different tissues and organs were actually due to malfunctioning of individual cells. He was also an anthropologist, biologist, writer and editor of several medical journals and a statesman noted for his efforts in advancing public health. His work brought more science in the field of medicine dismissing humourism. He was a pioneer in veterinary pathology and social medicine. According to him public health practices and medicine when applied politically can transform a social system positively or negatively. Thus he viewed that physicians and politicians have a moral obligation towards society. His famous report on typhus epidemic reiterated his view and stated that the epidemic can be better responded politically than medically and emphasised on improvement of social conditions. He held several important positions in universities that include the ‘University of Würzburg’ and the ‘Berlin University’. An eminent personality in politics, he was a founder member of the political party ‘Deutsche Fortschrittspartei’ through which he got elected to the ‘Prussian House of Representatives’. He won a seat in Reichstag that is the parliament. He wrote several books on medicine and gave names of several diseases such as Thrombosis, chordoma and leukemia and several scientific terms such as chromatin, osteoid and parenchyma.