Original Article
Early German research on virology and establishment of the specialised research institution
Li Huaye, Li Zhiping
Published 2022-01-28
Cite as Chin J Med Hist, 2022, 52(1): 28-32. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112155-20210122-00017
Abstract
Aftosa spread rapidly in Europe at the end of the 19th century.The German imperial government was concerned about it and appointed some scientists, such as Friedrich Loeffler and Paul Frosch, to do the research on it and they identified the virus of Aftosa in 1897. An experimental study was planned to be conducted by Friedrich Loeffler at the Greifswald Institute of Hygiene at a farm outside the city in 1899, but cancelled by the Government concerned about potential safety hazards in the research sites. After three years of preparation, the first virology research institution in the world was established by Friedrich Loeffler and others on Riems Island in Germany on October 10, 1910. This old virology research institution has now become the Federal Animal Health Research Center, making significant contributions to human research on zoonotic diseases.
Key words:
Institute of Virology; Friedrich Loeffler; aftosa
Contributor Information
Li Huaye
School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150076, China
Li Zhiping
School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150076, China