Gaston Ramon

Gaston Ramon ( born September 30, 1886 in Bellechaume, † June 8, 1963 in Paris) was a French veterinarian and immunologist, known as a developer of toxoid vaccines ( anatoxins ) against diphtheria and tetanus.

Ramon was the son of a baker, attended school in Sens and studied from 1906 to 1910 at the École nationale d' Alfort vétérinaire. Due to the headmaster he came into contact with Emile Roux, who took him to the Institut Pasteur in Garches, near Paris, where he worked in vaccine development. In World War I he made vaccines preserved by treatment with formaldehyde. At the same time he was in the laboratory of M. Nicolle. In 1920, he received permission from Roux to conduct its own laboratory within the Institute Pasteur in Garches. There he developed anti - toxins against the diphtheria toxin and tetanus toxin as well as methods to test their effectiveness. For the development of vaccines against diphtheria toxin it weakened diphtheria toxin by treatment with formalin and heat to obtain from the immunological properties. Mid-1920s, he tested his tetanus vaccine on humans and also developed combined vaccines. In 1926 he became director of the Institute branch of the Institut Pasteur in Garches, which he remained until 1944. 1934 to 1940 he was deputy director of the Pasteur Institute in Paris under the Director L. Martin. 1937 to 1940 he was head of the entire vaccine production at the Pasteur Institute, which provided especially large amounts for the French army. In 1940 he became director of the Pasteur Institute, but resigned shortly thereafter returned because he could not prevail with organizational and financial reforms. He has been honorary director of the Pasteur Institute in 1941 and Head of the Immunology Department. In 1948, he left the Pasteur Institute and was director of the Office International des Epizooties in Paris.

In 1934 he was elected to the French Academy of Medicine (whose Clotilde - Liard Prize he received in 1924 ) and became a member of the State Committee serum. In 1943 he became a member of the Academie des Sciences, whose Bréant Prize in 1925 and he whose general Muteau Prize he received in 1937.

He was married to Marthe Momont since 1917, a great-niece of Emile Roux. In 1950 he was awarded the Emil von Behring Prize.