Reuben Leon Kahn
Reuben Leon Kahn (born July 26, 1887 in Kaunas , Lithuania , † July 22, 1979 in Miami ) was an American immunologist . He is known for his research on blood reactions, such as the test for syphilis (1923). He later also found tests for tuberculosis , malaria, and leprosy . Kahn researched and taught at the University of Michigan .
Life
Kahn conducted studies of blood reactions, which enabled him to develop an efficient test for detecting syphilis. Kahn, who served in the Army from 1917 to 1919 and served in the Michigan State Department of Health from 1920 to 1928, found that under carefully controlled conditions, mixing an infected blood sample and a certain amount of cholesterol resulted in cloudiness the solution. Although this test gave incorrect results in some people, for example if they had recently received a vaccination or had illnesses other than syphilis. However, it was more efficient than August von Wassermann's more time-consuming test .
From 1928 to 1948 he was an assistant professor of bacteriology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor , where he worked from 1951 to 1957 as a professor of serology . Kahn found out that by changing the temperature, the salt concentration or by diluting the serum used, the different reactions indicated the presence of pathogens causing tuberculosis, malaria or leprosy in the blood sample. He published his theory for the extended test in 1951 in An introduction to universal serologic reaction in health and disease .
Furthermore, from 1957 to 1967, Kahn conducted studies on the effect of radiation on the immunity to disease in animals. These were supported by the Atomic Energy Commission. He found that radiation can affect antibody responses to foreign proteins. From 1968 to 1973 he was a professor of microbiology at Howard University Medical School in Washington, DC and subsequently became a scientific advisor.
Works (selection)
- Serum diagnosis of syphilis by precipitation; governing principles, procedure and clinical application of the Kahn precipitation test. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore 1925, OCLC 3157978 .
- The Kahn test. a practical guide. The Williams & Wilkins company, Baltimore 1928, OCLC 84700274 .
- Technique of the standard Kahn test and of special Kahn procedures…. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 1946, OCLC 614651493 .
- Serology with lipid antigen, with special reference to Kahn and universal reactions. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore 1950, OCLC 3156213 .
- An introduction to universal serological reaction in health and disease. Commonwealth Fund, New York 1951, OCLC 642340 .
literature
- John F. Oppenheimer (Red.) And a .: Lexicon of Judaism. 2nd Edition. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh u. a. 1971, ISBN 3-570-05964-2 , col. 359.
- Kahn test - medicine. In: Encyclopædia Britannica .
- WM Cobb: Reuben Leon Kahn, D.Sc., LL.D., MD, Ph.D., 1887-. In: Journal of the National Medical Association . tape 63 , no. 5 , September 1, 1971, ISSN 0027-9684 , pp. 388-394 , PMC 2608637 (free full text).
Web links
- BHL: Reuben Leon Kahn Papers 1915–1979. on quod.lib.umich.edu
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Reuben Leon Kahn - American immunologist. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 1, 2016 .
- ^ Reuben L Kahn: An introduction to universal serologic reaction in health and disease . Commonwealth Fund, New York 1951, OCLC 642340 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kahn, Reuben Leon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American immunologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 26, 1887 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kaunas , Lithuania |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 22, 1979 |
| Place of death | Miami |