August von Wassermann
August Paul von Wassermann (
21 February 1866 -
16 March 1925) was the
German bacteriologist who developed a complement fixation test for the
diagnosis of
syphilis in
1906, just one year after the causative organism had been identified.
The Wassermann test remains a staple of syphilis detection and prevention in some areas, although it has often been replaced by more modern alternatives.