August von Wassermann
Encyclopedia
August Paul von Wassermann (21 February 1866 - 16 March 1925) was a German
bacteriologist
.
Born in Bamberg
, he studied at several universities throughout Germany, and in 1890 began to work under Robert Koch
at the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the Charité
in Berlin
. He developed a complement fixation test for the diagnosis of syphilis
in 1906, just one year after the causative organism had been identified; this allowed for early detection of the disease (despite its nonspecific symptoms), and thus prevention of transmission. He became head of the department of therapeautics and serum research in 1907.
The Wassermann test
remains a staple of syphilis detection and prevention in some areas, although it has often been replaced by more modern alternatives.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
bacteriologist
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
.
Born in Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, he studied at several universities throughout Germany, and in 1890 began to work under Robert Koch
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch was a German physician. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis , the Tuberculosis bacillus and the Vibrio cholerae and for his development of Koch's postulates....
at the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the Charité
Charité
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the medical school for both the Humboldt University and the Free University of Berlin. After the merger with their fourth campus in 2003, the Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He developed a complement fixation test for the diagnosis of syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
in 1906, just one year after the causative organism had been identified; this allowed for early detection of the disease (despite its nonspecific symptoms), and thus prevention of transmission. He became head of the department of therapeautics and serum research in 1907.
The Wassermann test
Wassermann test
The Wassermann test or Wassermann reaction is an antibody test for syphilis, named after the bacteriologist August Paul von Wassermann, based on complement-fixation.-Method:...
remains a staple of syphilis detection and prevention in some areas, although it has often been replaced by more modern alternatives.
External links
- August Paul von Wassermann. Who named it?