The achievements of two medical officers in the Austrian imperial military forces in the second half of the 19th century are enumerated and honoured. The distinguished services rendered by the brothers Franz and Leopold Seligmann in connection with the "Novara" expedition (1857-1859) and the prevention of a cholera epidemic (1873) are described in this paper to prevent their attainments from falling into oblivion. The eldest brother, Romeo Seligmann, founded the Chair of the History of Medicine at Vienna University in 1848 and was the first professor of this discipline.