1850-1902

German bacteriologist and immunologist who first discovered substances in the blood that killed bacteria, now known as gamma globulins. Buchner devised a method for culturing anaerobic bacteria, a type of bacteria that grow in the absence of air. Born in Munich into a family that encouraged science, he was the brother of Nobel laureate chemist Eduard Buchner. Hans Buchner attended the Universities of Munich and Leipzig, receiving his medical degree in 1874. He worked as an army doctor during his early life, and later became surgeon general of the German army. He was also a professor at the University of Munich, where he taught until his death.