Wilhelm Kolle (born 2 November 1868 in Lerbach near

Osterode am Harz Osterode am Harz, often simply called Osterode (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Ostroe''), is a town in south-eastern Lower Saxony, Niedersachsen on the south-western edge of the Harz mountains. It was the seat of government of the Landkr ...

, died 10 May 1935) was a German

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

and

hygienist Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

. He served as the second director of the Royal Institute for Experimental Therapy, succeeding its founder, the Nobel laureate

Paul Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich (; 14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel Prize-winning German physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology, and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Among his foremost achievements were finding a cure ...

. He was also the original author, with Heinrich Hetsch, of the famous book ''

Experimental Bacteriology ''Experimental Bacteriology: in Its Applications to the Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Immunology of Infectious Diseases'' is a textbook on bacteriology and infectious diseases. It was one of the most authoritative works in medical microbiology in ...

'', one of the most authoritative works in microbiology in the first half of the 20th century. Following studies of medicine at the universities of

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

, Halle and

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, he became an assistant to

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the Vibrio ...

at the ''Institut für Infektionskrankheiten'' (Institute for Infectious Diseases) in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

(1893–97). In 1897–98 he performed research of

rinderpest Rinderpest (also cattle plague or steppe murrain) was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and many other species of even-toed ungulates, including gaurs, buffaloes, large antelope, deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthogs ...

and

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

in South Africa, and in 1900, on behalf of the Egyptian government, studied rinderpest in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. In 1901 he became departmental head at the ''Institut für Infektionskrankheiten'', followed by an appointment as professor of hygiene and bacteriology at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It ...

(1906). As a military physician and hygienist during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was highly successful in vaccination against

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

and

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

. In 1917, he became director of the Royal Institute for Experimental Therapy and of the Georg Speyer House in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. Kolle made numerous contributions in the fields of

serology Serology is the scientific study of Serum (blood), serum and other body fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the medical diagnosis, diagnostic identification of Antibody, antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in r ...

microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

and

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

. He is credited with the development of an anti-

meningococcus ''Neisseria meningitidis'', often referred to as meningococcus, is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause meningitis and other forms of meningococcal disease such as meningococcemia, a life-threatening sepsis. The bacterium is referred to as a ...

serum, as well as a vaccine against rinderpest. He introduced an improved

Salvarsan Arsphenamine, also known as Salvarsan or compound 606, is a drug that was introduced at the beginning of the 1910s as the first effective treatment for syphilis, relapsing fever, and African trypanosomiasis. This organoarsenic compound was the fi ...

preparation for treatment of

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

, and in 1896 developed a heat-inactivated

vaccine that was used extensively during the 20th century. He was the father of the painter

Helmut Kolle Helmut Kolle (24 February 1899 – 17 November 1931) was a German painter who found major success in France in the 1920s, fusing the German Modernism, modernist style with that of French art, French painting. Kolle was born in Berlin-Charlotten ...

(1899–1931).

Selected works

* ''Handbuch der pathogenen Mikroorganismen'' – with

August von Wassermann August Paul von Wassermann (21 February 1866 – 16 March 1925) was a German bacteriologist and hygienist. Born in Bamberg, with Jewish origins, he studied at several universities throughout Germany, receiving his medical doctorate in 1888 from ...

(1866-1925);

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

, 1902-1909, Fischer, Jena, 1902-1904 (Vol. 1-4), 1907-1909 (2 supplementary volumes). The third edition (1928-1931) published by Kolle, Rudolf Kraus and

Paul Uhlenhuth Paul Theodor Uhlenhuth (7 January 1870 in Hanover – 13 December 1957 in Freiburg im Breisgau) was a German bacteriologist and immunologist, and Professor at the University of Strasbourg (1911–1918), at the University of Marburg (1918–1923 ...

- (Manual of pathogenic

microorganisms A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

). * ''Lehrbuch der klinischen Untersuchungsmethoden...'' – with

Albert Eulenburg Albert Eulenburg (10 August 1840 – 3 July 1917) was a German neurologist born in Berlin. Education Born into a Jewish family, he studied medicine at the Universities of Berlin, Bern and Zurich, earning his doctorate in 1861. Among his inst ...

(1840-1917) and Wilhelm Weintraud (1866-1920) / Berlin : Urban et Schwarzenberg, 1904-1905 - (Textbook of clinical research methods). * '' Die experimentelle Bakteriologie und die Infektionskrankheiten mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Immunitätslehre : ein Lehrbuch für Studierende, Ärzte und Medizinalbeamte'' (with Heinrich Hetsch) / Berlin : Urban und Schwarzenberg, 1906 – (Experimental bacteriology and

infectious diseases An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

with particular reference to the immunity doctrine : a textbook for students, doctors and medical officials).IDREF.fr
(bibliography)

References

External links

(biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolle, Wilhelm German bacteriologists 1935 deaths 1868 births Hygienists Paul Ehrlich Institute people University of Bern faculty German immunologists German military doctors German military personnel of World War I People from Osterode (district) People from the Province of Hanover German inventors