Epidemiology and microbiology at the National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic.

The National Institute of Public Health was inaugurated on November 5, 1925. Since the very beginning it included four Departments: Department for the manufacture of sera and bacterial vaccines, Department for the manufacture of smallpox vaccine, Department for the Pasteur vaccination against rabies and Department for bacteriological diagnosis. All of these Departments closely cooperated. The manufacture of vaccines, sera and diagnostic agents was at the European level, not only in terms of quality but also in terms of the rapidity with which new advances in research were introduced into practice. For instance, the manufacture of the vaccine against diphteria described by Ramon in 1923 was started at the Institute from its establishment. In addition, one of the first meningococcal vaccines in the world was manufactured at the Institute in the 1930’s. In 1939, Dr. Karel Raška who started his career as a pathologist, microbiologist and epidemiologist and later became Professor of the Faculty of Medicine was appointed head of the Department of Epidemiology and Microbiology. His wide background was an ideal point of departure for his scientific and academic activities. During World War II, based on sketchy information on a newly discovered blood antigen, the so-called Rhesus factor, Professor Raška and his colleagues prepared the sera for determination of the Rh factor and were the first in Europe to be able to diagnose fetal erythroblastosis. Just before the end of World War II in response to the emerging news about the increasing incidence of suspect disease in the Terezin Small Fortress, Professor Raška managed to screen the sera from Terezin prisoners forced to dig trenches. After identification of the causative agent of epidemic typhus he went to Terezin and engaged in difficult and risky negotiations to be allowed to enter the concentration camp in order to take emergency measures. Under his leadership, a team from the National Institute of Public Health, physicians, nurses and medical students were able to control this outbreak in 1945. Until recently one of the researchers involved in these activities, Dr. Eva Aldová, still worked at the Institute. She significantly EPIDEMIOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC