- Email: [email protected]
May 2001
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 32 (2001) 181– 183 www.elsevier.com/locate/archger
Editorial
Laudatio to Professor Dr Dieter Platt on the occasion of his 65th birthday/May 2001
This special issue of ‘Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics’ contains original reports and reviews on various topics from the field of gerontology and geriatrics. The papers are dedicated to Professor Dr Dieter Platt for his 65th birthday. He numbers among the first scientists in Germany who have emphasized that old age is a phase in life to which special attention should be paid in the field of medicine. Platt has given impetus in various ways to the development of gerontology in Germany. It is a great pleasure for me to place an appreciation of his achievements in front of the scientific reports in this issue. Professor Platt studied medicine at Marburg and Gießen and took a doctor’s degree on a histiochemical animal experiment with Professor H. D. Zimmermann at the Institute of Pathology. His inclinations towards pure research as a basis for clinical medicine became obvious at an early stage. As a scholarship holder of the German Research Association, he spent one year with Professor Buddecke at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry of the University of Tu¨bingen. Inspired by Fritz Verza´r’s concept of experimental examinations as a basis for gerontological research, he investigated questions relating to the aging of the connective tissue and its relation to arteriosclerosis. The metabolism of mucopolysaccharides in the arterial wall and in the cartilaginous tissue both in humans and in animals, became one of the main fields of his research work. Platt qualified as a clinician at the Medical University Hospital of Gießen. As from 1965, he worked there under Professor Hans Gotthard Lasch, at first as a research assistant and subsequently as a senior physician, and was acknowledged as a specialist in internal medicine. In 1970, Platt qualified as a university lecturer in the field of internal medicine, submitting a thesis on the catabolic metabolism of mucopolysaccharides in the arterial wall and cartilaginous tissue in humans, in which he gave special emphasis to age-related alterations. In 1979, Professor Platt was appointed to the Chair of Gerontology of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and from then on, he has also been in charge 0167-4943/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 4 9 4 3 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 9 5 - 4
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of the Institute of Gerontology of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and of the Medical Clinic 2 of the Municipal Hospital of Nuremberg with some 130 large and a big intensive care unit. A geriatric day clinic with 60 places was affiliated to this area of responsibility in 1996. This Centre of Gerontology of Erlangen-Nuremberg is unique within the Federal Republic of Germany. The close linkage between pure research and clinical research, together with the practical work done in the clinic makes it possible to realize Platt’s intentions, i.e. it facilitates the indivisibility of research, clinic and teaching in the field of geriatric medicine. During the last few years, the main scientific areas of research at the centre included topics from the fields of pharmacology and toxicology in the elderly, in conjunction with the practical work of the poison information centre and the toxicological intensive care unit, subjects dealing with nutrition and metabolism in old age, questions on the plasticity and on structural changes in the brain in old age, aging on a molecular (e.g. coagulation) and cellular (e.g. erythrocytes and the reticulohistiocytic system) level, and finally also animal experiments on the topics of aging and sports, as well as on questions relating to the rehabilitation of elderly people. The clinical experience and the research results gained in this centre are recorded in numerous original reports and reviews; the bibliography of Platt’s works encompasses over 300 written papers, 34 books, some 200 scientific lectures and about 150 talks delivered during further education courses. The expert meetings organized by Platt with international participants of high rank, where current research results have been exchanged and critically disputed, are pleasant memories for all those who took part. Platt is a very active member of numerous scientific societies, he has devoted all his energies to the establishment of the Biological Section (experimental gerontology) of the German Society of Gerontology, of which he was in charge as a vice-president for many years. Between 1979 and 1984, he was the secretary-general of the European Biological Section of the International Association of Gerontology. Moreover, he has also been involved for years in the work of editorial boards of renowned international and German journals with the key topics gerontology and geriatrics. According to Professor Platt, the knowledge of the interaction of biochemistry with structure and function of organs is the key to understanding the physiological processes of aging and the diseases occurring in old age. Creativity, his ability to inspire whilst not forgetting his critical self-restraint, a talent for organization as well as self-assertion and steadfastness when he is convinced that he is following the right path have made Platt into the person he is today: an acknowledged pioneer, stressing the necessity of looking at the aged in a special way. It is hence not surprising that numerous honours have been conferred upon him. The Max Bu¨ rger Prize (1973), the Dr Gu¨ nther Buch Prize (1975), the Fritz Verza´ r Medal (1978), the Rene´ Schubert Prize and the Ernst von Bergmann Badge (both in 1989) count among these. The fact that he had accomplished the close linkage between clinical and scientific research was an essential motive for his being awarded the Federal Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1999. It was a matter of consistency for Platt to call into existence an independent scientific society combining clinical and scientific research. From 1990, Platt as a
Editorial
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founder member presides over the ‘German Society for Research on Aging’. Its members meet once a year at the Institute of Gerontology at Nuremberg for lectures and intensive discussions on their results obtained from geriatric and experimental gerontological research. Dieter Platt can be seen to be in his element here! It is not without unselfishness that we wish for his 65th birthday that — keeping up his stimulating agility — he may be with us for a long time yet. H. Frenzel Institute of Pathology, Sta¨dtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe, Moltkestr. 90, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
.
Editorial
Laudatio to Professor Dr Dieter Platt on the occasion of his 65th birthday/May 2001
This special issue of ‘Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics’ contains original reports and reviews on various topics from the field of gerontology and geriatrics. The papers are dedicated to Professor Dr Dieter Platt for his 65th birthday. He numbers among the first scientists in Germany who have emphasized that old age is a phase in life to which special attention should be paid in the field of medicine. Platt has given impetus in various ways to the development of gerontology in Germany. It is a great pleasure for me to place an appreciation of his achievements in front of the scientific reports in this issue. Professor Platt studied medicine at Marburg and Gießen and took a doctor’s degree on a histiochemical animal experiment with Professor H. D. Zimmermann at the Institute of Pathology. His inclinations towards pure research as a basis for clinical medicine became obvious at an early stage. As a scholarship holder of the German Research Association, he spent one year with Professor Buddecke at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry of the University of Tu¨bingen. Inspired by Fritz Verza´r’s concept of experimental examinations as a basis for gerontological research, he investigated questions relating to the aging of the connective tissue and its relation to arteriosclerosis. The metabolism of mucopolysaccharides in the arterial wall and in the cartilaginous tissue both in humans and in animals, became one of the main fields of his research work. Platt qualified as a clinician at the Medical University Hospital of Gießen. As from 1965, he worked there under Professor Hans Gotthard Lasch, at first as a research assistant and subsequently as a senior physician, and was acknowledged as a specialist in internal medicine. In 1970, Platt qualified as a university lecturer in the field of internal medicine, submitting a thesis on the catabolic metabolism of mucopolysaccharides in the arterial wall and cartilaginous tissue in humans, in which he gave special emphasis to age-related alterations. In 1979, Professor Platt was appointed to the Chair of Gerontology of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and from then on, he has also been in charge 0167-4943/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 4 9 4 3 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 0 9 5 - 4
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of the Institute of Gerontology of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and of the Medical Clinic 2 of the Municipal Hospital of Nuremberg with some 130 large and a big intensive care unit. A geriatric day clinic with 60 places was affiliated to this area of responsibility in 1996. This Centre of Gerontology of Erlangen-Nuremberg is unique within the Federal Republic of Germany. The close linkage between pure research and clinical research, together with the practical work done in the clinic makes it possible to realize Platt’s intentions, i.e. it facilitates the indivisibility of research, clinic and teaching in the field of geriatric medicine. During the last few years, the main scientific areas of research at the centre included topics from the fields of pharmacology and toxicology in the elderly, in conjunction with the practical work of the poison information centre and the toxicological intensive care unit, subjects dealing with nutrition and metabolism in old age, questions on the plasticity and on structural changes in the brain in old age, aging on a molecular (e.g. coagulation) and cellular (e.g. erythrocytes and the reticulohistiocytic system) level, and finally also animal experiments on the topics of aging and sports, as well as on questions relating to the rehabilitation of elderly people. The clinical experience and the research results gained in this centre are recorded in numerous original reports and reviews; the bibliography of Platt’s works encompasses over 300 written papers, 34 books, some 200 scientific lectures and about 150 talks delivered during further education courses. The expert meetings organized by Platt with international participants of high rank, where current research results have been exchanged and critically disputed, are pleasant memories for all those who took part. Platt is a very active member of numerous scientific societies, he has devoted all his energies to the establishment of the Biological Section (experimental gerontology) of the German Society of Gerontology, of which he was in charge as a vice-president for many years. Between 1979 and 1984, he was the secretary-general of the European Biological Section of the International Association of Gerontology. Moreover, he has also been involved for years in the work of editorial boards of renowned international and German journals with the key topics gerontology and geriatrics. According to Professor Platt, the knowledge of the interaction of biochemistry with structure and function of organs is the key to understanding the physiological processes of aging and the diseases occurring in old age. Creativity, his ability to inspire whilst not forgetting his critical self-restraint, a talent for organization as well as self-assertion and steadfastness when he is convinced that he is following the right path have made Platt into the person he is today: an acknowledged pioneer, stressing the necessity of looking at the aged in a special way. It is hence not surprising that numerous honours have been conferred upon him. The Max Bu¨ rger Prize (1973), the Dr Gu¨ nther Buch Prize (1975), the Fritz Verza´ r Medal (1978), the Rene´ Schubert Prize and the Ernst von Bergmann Badge (both in 1989) count among these. The fact that he had accomplished the close linkage between clinical and scientific research was an essential motive for his being awarded the Federal Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1999. It was a matter of consistency for Platt to call into existence an independent scientific society combining clinical and scientific research. From 1990, Platt as a
Editorial
183
founder member presides over the ‘German Society for Research on Aging’. Its members meet once a year at the Institute of Gerontology at Nuremberg for lectures and intensive discussions on their results obtained from geriatric and experimental gerontological research. Dieter Platt can be seen to be in his element here! It is not without unselfishness that we wish for his 65th birthday that — keeping up his stimulating agility — he may be with us for a long time yet. H. Frenzel Institute of Pathology, Sta¨dtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe, Moltkestr. 90, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Germany
.