Friedhelm Herrmann
Friedhelm Herrmann (* 1949 ) was considered a renowned German cancer researcher before he triggered one of the biggest counterfeit scandals in medical history in 1997 .
Life
In 2000, an independent commission of inquiry found that he, together with his colleagues Roland Mertelsmann , Albrecht Lindemann, Marion Brach and Wolfgang Oster, had published a total of 94 scientific papers out of around 400 in the field of hematology and oncology with falsified data.
The cancer researchers were accused of systematically forging laboratory data between 1994 and 1996. The forgeries were only discovered in 1997, when the research assistant Eberhard Hildt from the research group of the two researchers turned to his doctoral supervisor Peter Hans Hofschneider and asked for help. Herrmann and his former partner and laboratory manager Brach, who had received large amounts of research funding from both the German Cancer Aid and the German Research Foundation, are said not only to have falsified the results of their own experiments, but also to have stolen large amounts of ideas and results from other researchers .
Although the falsification of scientific data is not in itself a criminal offense, both cancer researchers were on trial: In 2000 the public prosecutor brought charges of employment fraud against both Marion Brach and Friedhelm Herrmann . Both should have submitted falsified work when applying to Ulm University and thus deceived the appointment committee. However, these proceedings were stopped before a court hearing. Finally, the DFG sued for repayment of the research funds, here the proceedings ended in 2005 with a settlement that included a partial repayment of the funds.
In 1992 Herrmann was awarded the Paul Martini Prize . Today he works as a resident oncologist in Munich at Marienplatz. He holds the title of professor.
Web links and literature
- DFG press release No. 26: Task Force presents final report , June 19, 2000
- Ernie Esquivel: "A feeling of disillusionment" - inside views of the Herrmann / Brach research group , German translation in "Research & Teaching", August 2000
- Marco Finetti and Armin Himmelrath , “The Fall of Man. Fraud and forgery in German science ”. Raabe Verlag, Stuttgart. 1999. ISBN 978-3-88649-351-7 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Hermann Horstkotte: Research fraud: data trickster retains the title of professor , Spiegel Online, February 25, 2004
- ↑ Christine Jähn: Losing one's reputation is the “hardest punishment” , Zeit Online, December 30, 2005
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Herrmann, Friedhelm |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German medic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1949 |