Karl-Otto Habermehl

Karl-Otto Habermehl (born January 31, 1927 in Köslin ; † June 7, 2005 in Berlin ) was a German doctor and virologist . He was one of the first German scientists to deal with virology after the Second World War. In this area, he mainly carried out basic research and developed numerous clinical-diagnostic procedures for the detection of HIV and other viral infections .

Life

Habermehl studied medicine at the newly founded Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin) from 1948 . After completing his doctorate and training as a specialist in internal medicine and as a specialist in laboratory medicine , he initially worked as an internist and senior physician in a Berlin hospital . His habilitation in the field of internal medicine in 1964 was followed by several longer stays at various US research institutes and a position as director of the New York State Department of Health (the health authority in the US state of New York ). In 1970 he was appointed to a newly established virological research unit of the German Research Foundation and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft in Berlin.

In 1975 Habermehl accepted a position at the Free University of Berlin and became a professor at the newly established chair for virology. Associated with this was the transfer of the previous research unit to the newly founded Institute for Clinical and Experimental Virology at the Free University of Berlin, which he was director until his retirement in 1997 . With Habermehl's activities, the institution gained a high international reputation and attracted other distinguished scientists to the university.

Act

Through his broad research spectrum, he established virology in Germany. Above all, he succeeded in combining the molecular biological basis of viruses with their function as pathogens ( pathogenicity ). His investigations contributed significantly to the clarification of infections with smallpox viruses , the poliomyelitis virus and herpes viruses . Habermehl's declared goal was to combine his basic research with everyday medical practice by applying his results to clinical diagnostics . He was significantly involved in the development of new test methods and promoted the development of automated virus diagnostics. Transfusion medicine in particular benefited from his work: in Berlin, for example, he tested blood donors for HIV for the first time , thereby reducing the risk of transfusion .

Habermehl received numerous honors and awards for his work : in addition to the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st Class and the Grand Cross of Merit (1996), the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin (1993), medals of merit from various academies of science , the Ernst von Bergmann plaque and numerous honorary memberships in medical associations, but also honorary doctorates and honorary professorships from various universities.