Karl Flügge

FLÜGGE, Karl (1847–1923), one of the greatest hygienists of Germany. Initially, he worked at the Leipzig Hygienic Institute as an assistant to F. Hofmann (1875–1878). In 1881, Flügge headed a department at the Physiological Institute in Göttingen; in 1883, he was appointed professor and director of the newly organized first Institute of Medical Chemistry and Hygiene in Prussia. In 1887, he transferred to Breslau, and in 1909 to Berlin. Initially, Flügge worked in the field of chemical and physiological hygiene, but under the influence of Pasteur and Koch, he also directed his attention to the field of epidemiological research. Among Flügge's works in the field of hygiene, one can note: 'On the Causes of the Harmful Effects of Spoiled Residential Air,' 'On the Thermoregulation of the Organism,' 'On Ventilation,' 'On Lighting,' 'On the Sanitary Evaluation of Water,' etc. His works on disinfection (residential disinfection with formaldehyde) are of great importance. His works on questions of epidemiology and microbiology are of no less importance: the study of milk bacteria in connection with summer infantile diarrhea, research on cholera (Flügge was an opponent of Pettenkofer's soil theory), dysentery, cerebrospinal meningitis, tetanus (the tetanus bacillus was discovered in his laboratory by Nicolaier), and especially tuberculosis. A special place is occupied by the doctrine developed by Flügge's school regarding the transmission of infections via dry dust and by droplet transmission (see Infection). Flügge was the first to establish a department of social hygiene in his institute. Together with R. Koch, Flügge founded the well-known journal 'Zeitschrift für Hygiene und Infektionskrankheiten' in 1885, of which Flügge remained the editor until his death. Among Flügge's printed works, one should note: 'Beiträge zur Hygiene' (Leipzig, 1879), 'Lehrbuch der hygienischen Untersuchungsmethoden' (Leipzig, 1881), 'Die Mikroorganismen' (Leipzig, 1886; a revision of the work published in 1883 under the title 'Fermente und Parasiten'). His 'Grundriss der Hygiene,' which went through 10 editions during the author's lifetime (first edition: Leipzig, 1889), is of outstanding importance. Most of Flügge's books were also published in Russian. Many major hygienists and epidemiologists emerged from Flügge's school: Kruse (Leipzig), Neisser (Frankfurt), Kiskalt (Kiel, Göttingen); among the Russians: Vysokovich, Lashchenkov, Favre, Korshun, and others.