Günther Enderlein
| Günther Enderlein | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 July 1872 Leipzig |
| Died |
11 August 1968 (aged 96) Wentdorf, near Hamburg |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields |
Zoology Entomology |
| Known for | Theories on Pleomorphism |
Günther Enderlein (7 July 1872 – 11 August 1968) was a German zoologist, entomologist and later a manufacturer of pharmaceutical products. Enderlein got some international renown because of his insect research but in Germany he became famous because of his concept of the pleomorphism of microorganisms and his hypotheses about the origins of cancer, based on the work of other scientists. His hypotheses about pleomorphism and cancer have now been disproved by science and have only some historical importance today. Some of his concepts are however still popular in alternative medicine. An invalid blood test is named after him: dark field microscopy according to Enderlein.
Enderlein was born in Leipzig, the son of a teacher. He studied in Leipzig and Berlin and got his PhD in 1898 as a zoologist. He became professor in 1924. First he worked as assistant at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, and went later to Szczecin, now in Poland but at that time in Germany. During the First World War he worked as a military surgeon major even though he was a biologist, as there were not enough physicians available at that time. He returned to Berlin in 1919 and remained there until 1937. After 1933 he became production manager in a small pharmaceutical company: Sanum (that later became Sanum-Kehlbeck). In 1944 he founded his own pharmaceutical company IBICA in Berlin, transferred later to Hamburg. He was also the publisher of a newspaper called Akmon. After his death, IBICA and Sanum merged in 1975 to form the Sanum-Kehlbeck company which is still active today.
Enderlein published more than 500 scientific articles, mostly about insects. He worked in taxonomy and systematics of many Diptera families. Many insects were named by him and some still carry his name. His way of distinction by external characteristics led to some disputes inside the scientific community of that time (see Zwick 1995 for details). Enderlein was mostly interested in the fly family, Simuliidae.
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