Main Entry: Werl·hof's disease Pronunciation: 'ver(-&)l-"hOfs- Function: noun :THROMBOCYTOPENIC PURPURA Werlhof, Paul Gottlieb(1699–1767), German physician.Werlhof served as the court physician at Hannover, Germany. In 1735 he published a classic description of thrombocytopenic purpura, now also known as Werlhof's disease.