John Auer

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Johne Auer (1875-1948) was an American physiologist and pharmacologist. He was a graduate of John Hopkins Medical School (1902), and was son-in-law to physiologist Samuel James Meltzer (1851-1920), who he worked with closely at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.

The eponymous Auer rods are named after him, which are rod-shaped inclusions in the cytoplasm of myeloblasts. These were described by Auer in a 21-year old patient suffering from a nosebleed and a sore throat.

Auer gave the first account regarding the physiological occurrences associated with anaphylaxis, which he studied in experiments with a guinea pig. He did many studies with Meltzer regarding the correlation between bronchial asthma and foreign substances. Also with Meltzer, he investigated the effects of magnesium on tetany. The term Auer's phenomena is named for allergic inflammations due to exposure to Xylol, which he first described in experimentation on laboratory rabbits.

He is credited with ventilation of the lungs with anaesthesia during open thorax surgery. His technique of intra-tracheal intubation is used to give continuous respiration to patients without respiratory lung movement.

Reference: Who Named It?; John Auer