Carl Friedlaender (1847-1887) was a German pathologist and bacteriologist who worked on the causes of pneumonia, particularly in fragile patients, i.e., the immuno-suppressed. Edwin Klebs in 1875 had noted a new bacterium, later named "Klebsiella pneumonia," and in 1882 Friedlaender had isolated this from the lungs of persons dying from pneumonia and asserted the causative link. His stance excited some controversy, and "Friedlaender's bacillus" came to be studied by others. New stains were employed c.1883-7, including that of Gram. The Klebsiella sp. are generally associated with the mouth-nose and intestinal tract (Enterobacteriaceae), are Gram-negative, and can be aerobic-anaerobic and have few nutritional special requirements — perfect credentials for an opportunist predator. Friedlaender died prematurely, suspected of having contracted the very organism he studied so assiduously.
Created 7 February 2023