Paul Niehans
Paul Niehans (21 November 1882 – 1 September 1971) was a Swiss doctor who was one of the developers of cellular therapy. His renown grew through his treatment of celebrities such as Pope Pius XII, King Ibn Saud, Konrad Adenauer and Charlie Chaplin.
Live cell therapy (or fresh cell therapy), developed in the ’30s by Swiss doctor Paul Niehans, involves harvesting fresh cells from cow or sheep embryo and injecting them directly (intramuscular) into the person’s buttocks.[1][2] There is no evidence is it useful for any health problem.[3]
In 1937, influenced by the work of the neurosurgeon Harvey Williams Cushing, Niehans first used cerebral cells, from the hypothalamus and the hypophysis. Beginning in 1948, he also used liver, pancreas, kidney, heart, duodenum, thymus, and spleen cells. In 1949, he began to use lyophilized (freeze-dried) cells, not only fresh ones. In 1953, Paul Niehans treated Pope Pius XII, who in gratitude appointed him member of the Papal Academy of Sciences. In the United States, it is not legally available because of safety concerns and lack of proof of its effectiveness.[4] In 1954, Niehans' work, Die Zellulartherapie (Cellular Therapy) was published in German. Swiss publisher Thoune released the English version and update of Niehans' original work which also included papers by researchers from Germany.
References
- ↑ Live cell therapy today
- ↑ Fresh cell therapy: The medicine of the future?
- ↑ Robyn, MP; Newman, AP; Amato, M; Walawander, M; Kothe, C; Nerone, JD; Pomerantz, C; Behravesh, CB; Biggs, HM; Dahlgren, FS; Pieracci, EG; Whitfield, Y; Sider, D; Ozaldin, O; Berger, L; Buck, PA; Downing, M; Blog, D (2 October 2015). "Q Fever Outbreak Among Travelers to Germany Who Received Live Cell Therapy - United States and Canada, 2014.". MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 64 (38): 1071–3. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6438a3. PMID 26421460.
- ↑ American Cancer Society cell therapy page
Sources
- Literature by and about Paul Niehans in the German National Library catalogue
- E. Wolff: Vor 50 Jahren: Paul Niehans bringt den Begriff «Zellulartherapie» in die Öffentlichkeit. In: Schweizerische Ärztezeitung / Bulletin des médecins suisses / Bollettino dei medici svizzeri. 2002;83: Nr 32/33, S. 1726f. (Text als pdf-Datei)
- Paul Niehans in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.