Hermann Lehmann facts for kids

Hermann Lehmann (born July 8, 1910 – died July 13, 1985) was a doctor and scientist from Britain, originally from Germany. He was famous for studying hemoglobin, which is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen. He found about 75 different types of hemoglobin, more than anyone else! His work helped us understand how different types of hemoglobin can affect people's health. He is also seen as one of the people who started the field of molecular anthropology, which looks at human history and differences using molecules like DNA and proteins.

Hermann Lehmann's Early Life and Education

Hermann Lehmann was born in Halle, a city in eastern Germany. His father, Paul Lehmann, owned two local newspapers. Sadly, his mother, Bella, passed away when he was only three years old. He had three sisters and one half-brother.

He went to school in Halle for his early education. In 1923, his family had to move to Dresden because of money problems in Germany. He finished high school at the Gymnasium zum heiligen Kreuz in 1928.

Studying Medicine and Moving to Switzerland

Hermann started studying medicine at the University of Freiberg. After his father died, he moved to Frankfurt to live with his uncle and continue his studies there. In 1931, he went to Heidelberg University. However, because of the rise of Nazism and anti-Jewish feelings, he had to leave Germany before finishing his final exams in 1933.

He moved to Switzerland and submitted his medical thesis to the University of Basel. This paper was about how the stomach produces acid. In January 1934, the university gave him his medical degree. But because his medical courses were in Germany, he did not get a license to practice medicine in Switzerland.

Research in Cambridge

In 1935, Hermann Lehmann visited the University of Cambridge in England. There, he met famous scientists like Otto Fritz Meyerhof and Frederick Gowland Hopkins, both of whom had won Nobel Prizes. Hopkins invited him to work in Cambridge.

Life became difficult in Europe, so Hermann returned to England. In 1936, he started studying for his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Christ's College, Cambridge. He was helped by a research couple, Joseph and Dorothy Needham, who let him stay in their house and helped him get money for Jewish refugees. His Ph.D. work was about how the body uses carbohydrates when there is no oxygen. He earned his degree two years later.

Working as a Doctor and Scientist

During World War II, Hermann Lehmann was considered a "friendly alien" because he was a German refugee. In 1940, he was briefly held in a camp with other Jewish refugees. After being released, he volunteered to help with the war effort.

Work During World War II

With help from a Nobel Prize winner named Charles Scott Sherrington, Hermann got a job at Runwell Hospital in England. In 1942, he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (R.A.M.C.). He was sent to India to study a common problem called anaemia among British soldiers. He became a high-ranking pathologist and helped understand why soldiers were getting iron deficiency.

After the war ended in 1946, he moved to Kampala, Uganda. There, he worked as a Senior Nutrition Research Officer at Makerere College (now Makerere University).

Return to England and Later Career

In 1949, Hermann Lehmann came back to England and worked as a pathologist at Pembury Hospital. He then moved to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London in 1951, where he worked until 1963.

In 1963, he became a biochemist at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital at the University of Cambridge. The Medical Research Council set up a special unit for studying abnormal hemoglobin under his leadership. In 1967, he became the first professor of clinical biochemistry at the university. He also directed the World Health Organization's unit for abnormal hemoglobin until 1975. He retired in 1977 but continued his research.

In 1940, Hermann married Benigna Norman-Butler, who was a musician. They had two daughters, Susan and Ruth, and two sons, Paul and David.

Hermann Lehmann's Scientific Discoveries

Hermann Lehmann was a leader in studying the chemistry of blood. His work helped us understand many blood-related health issues.

Understanding Anaemia and Blood Diseases

One of his first big discoveries was about anaemia in Uganda. He found that many Africans had anaemia because of hookworm infection, which are tiny worms that live in the body.

He also worked on a serious blood condition called pseudocholinesterase deficiency. People with this condition are very sensitive to certain medicines used during surgery, like suxamethonium. Hermann found that this deficiency was the cause of these reactions. He also created tests to diagnose the condition and discovered that it was passed down through families (genetic).

Discovering Hemoglobin Variants

Lehmann's most important work was on the different types of hemoglobin. He found about 75 different kinds of hemoglobin during his career! His discoveries of hemoglobin types linked to blood diseases, like sickle cell disease, are still very important in medicine and biochemistry today. He was known for finding and listing many different hemoglobin types. His work helped us understand how these differences affect people's health and how they are passed down in populations.

Awards and Recognitions

Hermann Lehmann received many awards for his important scientific work.

• In 1938, he won Darwin's Prize for his Ph.D. thesis at Christ's College.
• He received the Rivers Memorial Medal in 1961 for his studies on sickle cell disease.
• He was elected a Fellow of Christ's College in 1965 and an honorary fellow in 1982.
• The University of Cambridge gave him a D.Sc. degree in 1957.
• He became an honorary professor at the University of Freiburg in 1964.
• In 1971, he received the Martin Luther King Prize for Research on Sickle-Cell Anaemia.
• He was elected a FRS in 1972, which is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
• He was also made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1980.