Karl Landsteiner was an Austrian biologist and
physician, who is particularly notable for his work in the field of hematology,
which revolutionized the process of blood transfusion. His research in the
field of immunology is just as significant as his hematology research, as it
led to the isolation of previously deadly viruses and the subsequent
development of vaccines against them. Due to his groundbreaking work and
singular personality, which has been described as being sad and intense, he
acquired many nicknames, including the father of immunology, the father of
hematology, and the melancholy genius. Despite the financial hardship Dr.
Landsteiner faced during the early years of his career in his native Vienna, he
never gave up his beloved research, contributing many important scientific
findings during these lean times. Dr. Landsteiner was mentored by some of the
leading scientific minds of his time, which no doubt helped him to expand his
already prodigious intellect and delve further into his research. He was a man
of a solitary nature who preferred to live away from other people, and as such
never gave any interviews about his revolutionary work and its impact.
Possessing high intelligence and a tireless work ethic, Karl Landsteiner was a
scientific pioneer who changed the face of medical treatment forever. Hundreds
owe their lives to his research; read on to know more about his contribution to
the scientific community
Career
·
In 1891, Karl
Landsteiner published his first scientific work, a paper about the influence of
diet on the composition of blood ash.
·
From 1891-1893,
Landsteiner immersed himself in the study of chemistry, studying under Arthur
Rudolf Hantzsch, Hermann Emil Fisher, and Eugen Bamberger in their labs in
Zurich, Wurzburg and Munchen, respectively.
·
In 1896 he became an
assistant to well-known bacteriologist Max von Gruber at the ‘Hygienic
Institute of Vienna’, where he concentrated his studies on the natures of
immunity and antibodies.
·
From November 1897 to
1908, he was an assistant under Anton Weischelbaum at the
pathological-anatomical institute of the ‘University of Vienna’.
·
In 1901, Karl made his
groundbreaking discovery that, contrary to the previously held belief that all
humans’ blood was the same, there are actually four different blood groups and
three different blood types.
·
In 1911, he became an
associate professor of pathological anatomy at the ‘WIlhelminenspital’ in
Vienna. During this time, he and his partner Erwin Popper also discovered and
isolated the polio virus, making the development of a vaccine possible.
·
In 1922, he accepted a
position at the ‘Rockefeller Institute’ in America, which remained his place of
employment for the remainder of his life.
·
In 1927, he revised
the blood group work he had done over 25 years before by discovering 20 new
blood groups, which led to the development of modern paternity tests.
·
During the period of
1930-1932, Landsteiner and his research partner, Clara Nigg, successfully
cultured the causative agent of typhus.
Major Works
·
He published his
groundbreaking paper detailing the different human blood groups in 1901, which
was entitled ‘On agglutination phenomena of normal human blood’.
·
In 1936, he published
his seminal work about the immune system entitled ‘The Specificity of the
Serologic Reactions’, a book which is still considered a classic in its field.
Awards &
Achievements
· In 1927, Karl
Landsteiner received an honorary degree from the ‘University of Chicago’, and
two years later was named president of the ‘American Association of
Immunologists’.
· He won the ‘Nobel
Prize’ in 1930 in the category of ‘Physiology and Medicine’ for his work in
detecting different human blood groups.
· He received honorary
degrees from both ‘Cambridge’ and the ‘Free University of Brussels’ in 1934, as
well as an honorary degree from ‘Harvard’ two years later.
Source: Read more at
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/karl-landsteiner-6356.php#MKcplBChkCXE4sHe.99
