15 Facts About Emil Abderhalden

Emil Abderhalden was a Swiss biochemist and physiologist.

Emil Abderhalden was born in Oberuzwil in the Canton of St Gallen in Switzerland.

Emil Abderhalden moved to Basel to study at the University of Basel.

Emil Abderhalden studied medicine at the University of Basel and received his doctorate in 1902.

Emil Abderhalden then studied in the laboratory of Emil Fischer and worked at the University of Berlin.

Emil Abderhalden did extensive work in the analysis of proteins, polypeptides, and enzymes.

Emil Abderhalden's reputation continued to grow in Germany where collaborators managed to "replicate" his results, usually by simply repeating experiments until they succeeded and discarding the negative results.

Biochemist Emil Abderhalden had turned in 1940 to Verschuer, because he needed the blood of twins to check the "Abderhalden reaction named after him" on identical twins.

Emil Abderhalden asserted here, that certain reactions of the immune system are stimulated by the production of each specific protease.

Emil Abderhalden believed that racial characteristics were included in the proteins of the tissue and blood.

The crucial difference between this and Emil Abderhalden's theory is that the former is an effect of antibodies, whereas the fictitious Abwehrfermente were presumed to be proteases; a difference that has large implications for biochemistry and immunology.

The most comprehensive analysis of the issue as to whether Emil Abderhalden was simply grossly mistaken or perpetuated deliberate fraud can be found in Kaasch.

Emil Abderhalden had a son, Rudolf Abderhalden who was a chemist and moved to Switzerland after World War II.

Emil Abderhalden's son found employment under Tadeusz Reichstein at the University of Basel.

Rudolf Emil Abderhalden then transferred to industry and opened a private laboratory.