FRAGMENTS OF MEMORIES ABOUT HENRICH MOSING AND HIS RICKET LABORATORY

Abstract

Memoirs of the eminent epidemiologist Heinrich Mosing, a student and follower of the creator of the typhoid vaccine Rudolf Weigl, are presented. Facts from the personal life of Heinrich Stanislavovich are described, his human qualities and ethical principles are described, evidence of his successful combination of research work with the needs of practical medicine, concrete contribution to the final elimination of typhus in the Soviet Union and neighboring Eastern European countries.

The main place in the story is given to the creation of Heinrich Mosing’s laboratory for the study of rickettsial infections and its activities. Interesting facts from the personal life and scientific activity of Heinrich Stanislavovich before, during and after the Second World War are described. The contribution of the laboratory staff to the production of a highly effective typhus vaccine and specific methods of its diagnosis is noted.

The recurrent theory of sporadic typhus, developed and defended by Heinrich Mosing, and the critical attitude of some representatives of the leading scientific circles of the state are given. Many of the facts are presented for the first time, they complement our knowledge of the history of the fight against typhus and reflect the highly ethical and spiritual features of Heinrich Stanislavovich Mosing, remembered by his author.