Richard Paltauf

Who was Richard Paltauf?

Richard Paltauf was an Austrian pathologist and bacteriologist born in Judenburg, Styria.

In 1880 he received his medical doctorate at the University of Graz, and from 1881 to 1883 was an assistant to pathologist Hans Kundrat in Graz. Afterwards, he remained as Kundrat's assistant at the University of Vienna, where in 1888 he obtained his habilitation in pathological anatomy. In 1892 he became an associate professor of general pathology and pathological histology, and during the following year became head of the institute for pathological histology and bacteriology. From 1900 until his death in 1924 he was a full professor of general and experimental pathology.

With Anton Weichselbaum, he was responsible for introducing bacteriology and serology at Vienna. Also he founded a serotherapeutical institute as well as an institution for vaccination against rabies. With Carl Sternberg, he conducted important research of lymphogranulomatosis.