Walther Hesse

Walther Hesse ( * December 27 1846 in Bischofswerda, † July 19, 1911 in Dresden) was a German physician and microbiologist. Hesse has made ​​great contributions to occupational hygiene and led agar culture media for growing bacteria in the laboratory of Robert Koch, a.

Biography

Walther Hesse was born as one of twelve children of a physician. He attended the Cross School in Dresden and studied from 1866 to 1870 medicine at the University of Leipzig. It graduated from with a Ph.D. in pathology at Ernst Leberecht Wagner.

As ship's doctor, he examined 1872 seasickness. In New York he met his future wife Fanny Angelina Eilshemius know.

In 1877, Hesse was appointed as a district doctor to Schwarzenberg. There he studied the Schneeberger disease and recognized as lung cancer. During his time in Schwarzenberg attending, a year with Max von Pettenkofer in Munich in order to expand his knowledge of hygiene. In Schwarzenberg wrote his first acclaimed publications to study the microbial load of water and air.

From 1881 to 1882, Hesse employees in the laboratory of Robert Koch. There he studied the culture of bacteria cultures. Koch had begun, but to use solid nutrient media. The breeding of stable ( sterilizable ) pure cultures was the key for microbiological long-term studies, as required for tuberculosis research. To identify the causative agent of tuberculosis, but did not succeed even with gelatin and potatoes.

Hesse told the problem his wife, who then proposed the solution: using agar - agar, a substrate of sea algae, to puddings and jellies could prevent it from liquefying. Walther Hesse reported cook it and in 1882 gave this famous speech for the initial identification of the tuberculosis bacterium, grown on agar-agar. In the following years, Hesse involved in the advancement of technology, among other things together with the company Heyden in Radebeul.

In his last years, Hesse worked as a district medical officer in Dresden. He investigated further here, with the support of Walther Hempel and he also introduced the pasteurization of milk in Pfund's Dairy.

Hesse was buried in the family grave of his father, Friedrich Hesse, who had spent in Oberlößnitz close to several of his children his last years in the cemetery Radebeul -Ost.