Friedrich Neelsen
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Carl Adolf Neelsen (* 29 March 1854 Uetersen
; † April 11, 1898 Dresden
) was a German
pathologist.
, from which he received his doctorate at the age of 22. Later he became professor at the Institute of Pathology of the University of Rostock
. His final years were spent as chief of medicine at the famous pathological institute of the Dresden University of Technology
. Neelsen died on April 11, 1898, aged 44, presumably due to pathogen exposure during his many years of bacteriological
research. He was known in his time as a recluse who avoided public attention whenever possible, though he was active in the civic affairs of his hometown throughout his life.
, Neelsen developed a method for the staining of acid-fast
bacteria, used to this day in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis
and to detect the presence of other mycobacteria.
Uetersen
Uetersen ) is a city in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. south of Elmshorn, and northwest of Hamburg at the small river Pinnau, close to the Elbe river...
; † April 11, 1898 Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pathologist.
Life
Friedrich C.A. Neelsen was born to Hans Friedrich Neelsen, deacon of the Uetersen vicarage, and his wife Bertha Sophia (née Lueders). He attended school in Uetersen and later in Altona. He studied medicine at the University of LeipzigUniversity of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, from which he received his doctorate at the age of 22. Later he became professor at the Institute of Pathology of the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...
. His final years were spent as chief of medicine at the famous pathological institute of the Dresden University of Technology
Dresden University of Technology
The Technische Universität Dresden is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony and one of the 10 largest universities in Germany with 36,066 students...
. Neelsen died on April 11, 1898, aged 44, presumably due to pathogen exposure during his many years of bacteriological
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
research. He was known in his time as a recluse who avoided public attention whenever possible, though he was active in the civic affairs of his hometown throughout his life.
Work
Together with neurologist Franz ZiehlFranz Ziehl
Dr. Franz Ziehl was a German bacteriologist. He was a professor in Lübeck. Franz Ziehl introduced the carbolfuchsin stain for the tubercle bacillus in 1882. With pathologist Friedrich Neelsen , he developed the Ziehl-Neelsen stain also known as the acid-fast stain, which is used to identify...
, Neelsen developed a method for the staining of acid-fast
Acid-fast
Acid-fastness is a physical property of certain bacteria, specifically their resistance to decolorization by acids during staining procedures.Acid-fast organisms are difficult to characterize using standard microbiological techniques Acid-fastness is a physical property of certain bacteria,...
bacteria, used to this day in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and to detect the presence of other mycobacteria.