Richard Ernst Wilhelm Otto (9 November 1872 – 12 August 1952) was a German physician and bacteriologist, who served as director of the

Paul Ehrlich Institute The Paul Ehrlich Institute (German: ''Paul-Ehrlich-Institut – Bundesinstitut für Impfstoffe und biomedizinische Arzneimittel'', PEI) is a German federal agency, medical regulatory body and research institution for vaccines and biomedicines. It ...

until 1948.

Career

Otto was born in Zimmerhausen. He obtained his doctorate in medicine in 1895 and served as a

military physician The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean: *A medical specialty, specifically a branch of occupational medicine attending to the medical risks and needs (both preventive and interventional) of sold ...

at the Prussian Institute of Infectious Diseases in Berlin from 1902. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1903. From 1904 to 1907 he worked at the Royal Institute for Experimental Therapy in Frankfurt. He was appointed as a Professor in 1906 and became a battalion physician and director of the bacteriological laboratory of the Army Medical Service in Hanover in 1907. From 1908 he taught at the Technical University of Hanover. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and left active military service in 1913. From 1913 he again worked at the Institute of Infectious Diseases. He was appointed Geheimer Medizinalrat (equivalent to

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

, i.e. Privy Councillor) in 1918 and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of the Reserve in 1920. In 1935 he returned to the Institute for Experimental Therapy. He became Adjunct Professor at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

in 1935 and at the

Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...

in 1936. He was a member of the scientific council of the Army Medical Service from 1942. From 1938 to 1948 he was the director of the Institute for Experimental Therapy, which was renamed the Paul Ehrlich Institute during his tenure. In the postwar era he was one of the editors of the textbook series ''Grenzgebiete der Medizin''. He retired from his office as director of the Paul Ehrlich Institute in August 1948.

Hans Schlossberger Hans Otto Friedrich Schlossberger (born 22 September 1887 in Alpirsbach, died 27 January 1960 in Stuttgart) was a German physician, who was known for his research in immunology, medical microbiology, epidemiology and antimicrobial chemotherapy, ...

: "Geheimer Medizinalrat Prof. Dr. Richard Otto." ''Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift'' 78 (1953). He died in Frankfurt, aged 79.

Honours

Aronson Prize The Aronson Prize (german: Aronson-Preis) is a prize awarded for achievements in microbiology and immunology. It was established by the will of the pediatrician and bacteriologist Hans Aronson and has been awarded since 1921. Aronson bequeathed ...

(1931) * Fellow of the

Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Richard German bacteriologists German military doctors Paul Ehrlich Institute people Robert Koch Institute people University of Hanover faculty Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Goethe University Frankfurt faculty Scientists from Berlin Scientists from Frankfurt 20th-century German physicians 1872 births 1952 deaths Medical Microbiology and Immunology editors