Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach (1792-1847) was a German surgeon who specialized in skin transplantation and plastic surgery. His work in rhinoplastic and maxillofacial surgery established many modern techniques of reconstructive surgery. Before the discovery of blood typing and blood matching, Dieffenbach researched blood transfusion. In 1839, Dieffenbach performed the first successful myotomy (surgical procedure in which muscle is cut out) for the treatment of strabismus on a seven-year old boy with esotropia.