'Henrique da Rocha Lima' (
1879–
1956) was a Brazilian
physician,
pathologist and
infectologist. Working in
Germany, he discovered ''
Rickettsia prowazekii'', the
pathogen of
endemic typhus. ''Rickettsia prowazekii'' was named after German
zoologist Stanislaus von Prowazek.
Henrique da Rocha Lima received his M.D. degree from the Medical School of Rio de Janeiro in 1905. He was one of the founders of the
Oswaldo Cruz Institute, where he worked with other famous Brazilian researchers, such as
Oswaldo Cruz himself,
Adolfo Lutz and
Carlos Chagas (the discoverer of
Chagas disease) in the areas of
microbiology,
immunology and
infectious diseases. Rocha Lima developed an international career in medical research, successively in the chair of pathological anatomy of the
University of Munich, and in the
Tropical Diseases Institute of Hamburg, both in
Germany. In Brazil, he was a great scientific and educational leader, having participated in the foundation of the
Paulista School of Medicine, and of the
University of São Paulo. Rocha Lima was also a president of the
Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science. He received many awards and distinctions, such as the
Iron Cross of the German Empire, the Benemerence Medal by
Pope Pius XI, the Nocht Medal for distinguished researchers on Tropical Diseases, and the effective membership of the
German Academy of Natural Sciences. His name has been given to the Student Union (''Centro Acadêmico'') of the
Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, in
Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
In 2007, a new strain of
Gram-negative bacteria was named after Rocha Lima, ''
Bartonella rochalimae''.
[1]
Bibliography
★ Falcão, E.C. A Vida CientÃfica de Henrique da Rocha Lima. ''Rev Bras Malariol Doencas Trop.'' 1967 Apr-Jun;19(2):353-8. (Article in Portuguese)
★ Falcão, E.C. Henrique Rocha Lima e a Descoberta da Rickettsia prowazekii. ''Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo.'' 1966 Mar-Apr;8(2):55-9. (Article in Portuguese)
References
1. Mystery Fever Leads to New Pathogen From Peru Michael Smith
External links
★
Henrique da Rocha Lima. Um processo do conhecimento contemporâneo - I. Instituto Biológico de São Paulo (In Portuguese)