Friedrich Löffler

PILOTS, see Aviation hygiene. Friedrich Löffler (1852–1915), one of the founders of medical microbiology. Shortly after graduating from the university (1879), he joined the hygiene laboratory of Wolffhügel at the Institute of Health (Gesundheitsamt) in Berlin. Just a year later, with the arrival of Robert Koch at this institution, Löffler became his first student, collaborator, and closest friend. In 1888, Löffler moved to Greifswald to the chair of hygiene, which he left only in 1913 to head the Koch Institute.

The worldwide significance of Löffler is based on his discovery of the causative agent of diphtheria (1884), which made it possible for Roux, Behring, and others to develop methods of active and passive immunization against this disease.

The discovery by Löffler of the causative agent of glanders (1882) gave veterinary medicine a firm foundation for combating this disease and for diagnosing it even in a latent form with the help of "mallein," found by H. I. Hellman.

Working on foot-and-mouth disease, Löffler was the first to discover an ultramicroscopic pathogenic agent—the so-called filterable virus (see Virus), thereby opening a new, broad field for scientific and practical research. Working on swine erysipelas, Löffler shed light on the etiology of a whole series of diseases in this species of animal. A chance laboratory observation by Löffler contributed (1891) to the discovery of the mouse typhoid bacillus, with the help of which he managed, as early as the following year, to save a large part of the harvest in Thessaly, which was threatened with complete destruction by field mice. Another merit of Löffler relates to bacteriological technique and methodology: the staining of microbes and their flagella, and new nutrient media, especially elective ones.

Of the large number of works published by Löffler, the most important are: "Untersuchungen über die Bedeutung der Mikroorganismen für die Entstehung der Diphtherie beim Menschen, bei der Taube und beim Kalbe" (Mitt. a. d. Kais. Gesundheitsamt, B. II, 1884); "Die Aetiologie der Rotzkrankheit" (Arb. a. d. Kais. Gesundheitsamt, B. I, 1886); "Experimentelle Untersuchungen über den Schweine-Rothlauf" (ibid.); "Eine neue Methode zur Färbung der Mikroorganismen, insbes. ihrer Wimperhaare und Geisseln" (ibidem B. VI, 1889); "Über Epidemien unter den im Hygienischen Institut zu Greifswald gehaltenen Mäusen" (Cntrbl. f. Bakteriologie, Abt. 1, B. IX, 1891); "Bericht der Komission zur Erforschung der Maul- und Klauenseuche" (Deutsche med. Wochenschr., 1898, № 5-6).