Georges Dreyer
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Georges Dreyer (1873-1934) was a Danish pathologist who was born in Shanghai, where his father was stationed as an officer with the Royal Danish Navy. In 1900 he earned his medical degree at the University of Copenhagen, and subsequently worked as a bacteriologist, which included time spent at Finsen Institute in Copenhagen. In 1907 he became the first professor of pathology at Oxford University, a position he maintained until 1934. During World War I, Dreyer was a consultant to the British Royal Flying Corps.
Georges Dreyer specialized in the fields of bacteriology and virology, and performed extensive studies involving vaccines and immunity. He conducted investigations regarding variations of blood volume among different species, and the relationship of blood volume to an animals' surface area and weight. Dreyer is also credited with introducing a modification of the Widal test for diagnosis of typhoid and paratyphoid.
Dreyer is remembered today for his work in respiratory physiology, and experiments with oxygen in regards to aviation. During World War I he developed a device that was capable of administering low oxygen mixtures to test the effects of hypoxia in aviators. He also developed a successful oxygen delivery system, and was responsible for installation of the first low-pressure chamber at a British learning institution.
