Contact Dermatitis, 1998, 39, 159–160 Copyright C Munksgaard 1998Printed in Denmark . All rights reserved

ISSN 0105-1873

In memoriamDipl.-Chem. Prof. Dr. med. Hellmut Ippen

Hellmut Ippen, Professor of Dermatology and Di-rector of the Department of Dermatology, Univer-sity of Gottingen (1974–1993), died on Friday, 13March 1998, 2 days before his 73rd birthday. For5 months, he had fought with the strongest willand almost unbroken optimism against serious ill-ness. True to his hard-working ethos, he continuedvirtually to the last minute to write for publi-cations. He loved his work as editor of the journalDermatosen in Beruf und Umwelt, which he fulfilledwith the utmost care, deep knowledge and greatfairness to authors for over 20 years.

In Professor Ippen, not only his family but alsoa huge number of friends and admirers lost a greatman. His outstanding wit, associated withphenomenal memory, made him a ‘‘walking encyc-lopaedia’’, full of enigmatic humor and unconven-tional ideas, leading to original associations.

He was born in Stettin (now Szczecin) in histori-cal Pomerania, and grew up on his parents farm.In 1942, he began his studies at the University of

Greifswald in both chemistry and medicine. As asoldier he was severely wounded, which scarredhim for life. After the war, he resumed his studiesat the University of Hamburg and worked as a lab-oratory assistant in chemistry. In 1953, he was li-censed as a physician after terminating his chemi-cal studies with a diploma. The association of pro-found knowledge in both the chemical and medicalfields was the fertile soil for his extraordinary ex-pertise. He published numerous articles in phar-macology, toxicology, allergology, botany, medi-cine, and photodermatology. As a young Oberarztat the Department of Dermatology in Dusseldorf,he developed phlebotomy therapy for porphyriacutanea tarda in the late 50s. This approach isstandard nowadays and gained him worldwide rec-ognition. He was one of the first to realize theharmful effects of ultraviolet light and did not tirein disseminating this knowledge. His method of de-termining the efficacy of sunscreens had a stimu-lating impact on the whole field. His expertise in

160 IN MEMORIAM

many areas, coupled with a swift effective workingstyle, made him a highly appreciated consultant bygovernmental institutions, other universities, andmanufacturers of medicaments and cosmetics. Fordecades, he was an active and outspoken memberof the committee of the Deutsche Forschungsge-meinschaft on Maximale Arbeitsplatzkonzentra-tionen (maximum permitted levels of chemicals inthe working environment), and the committee onadverse reactions to drugs of the German MedicalSociety. Collecting, putting in order, and illuminat-ing were his great passions. He created the IndexPharmacorum, an encyclopaedic systemic listing ofmedicaments based on their chemical structure. Hecontinued to work on the new edition of thisunique compendium.

Professor Ippen was the director of his Depart-ment of Dermatology from 1974 to 1993. He wasnever arrogant, always friendly and created a hu-man, harmonious, yet stimulating atmosphere inhis hospital. Patients and co-workers at variouslevels much enjoyed it. Being himself a father of 2sons and 1 daughter, he took family affairs seri-ously and helped many women doctors by provid-ing part-time jobs. Furthermore, he had sympathyfor dermatologists from other countries, particu-larly from eastern Europe, when they had to workin a German department in order obtain a full li-cense. His many students have fond memories oftheir training and are deeply touched by his death.Under his leadership, they experienced a depart-ment that was well-known beyond the borders ofGottingen, not only for its academic quality butalso for its colourful appearance in many ways. Intheir daily practice, the student doctors of Pro-fessor Ippen still use many of his own formulationsof medicaments, in order to spare corticosteroids,or choose the cream base optimal to the skin con-dition. A special joy was his way of lecturing tostudents. His ebullience, ready wit, and brilliancemade him one of the most popular teachers inGottingen, his dermatology seminar was a ‘‘must’’for every medical student. His exceptional eru-dition, combined with his enigmatic humour, pro-duced numerous glosses mostly printed in hisjournal Dermatosen in Beruf und Umwelt. Playing

with words to an Olympian perfection, often un-translatable in English, he caused great amusementfor his readers. He often hit the nail on the headnot only in medical affairs but also in social andcultural developments.

His passion for collecting was also demonstratedin his outstanding garden, which contained numer-ous rare plants. With great enjoyment, he stunnedhis visitors, for example, with Dictamnus albus orRhus toxicodendron, and offered them deliciouscherries or quinces. This he followed with a dis-course on their chemical composition and wouldquote a recent paper on a newly identified allergenor carcinogen. Working in his garden was his relax-ation, though working at his desk remained hiselixir even after reaching emeritus status. Freedfrom his numerous duties as director of a large de-partment, he could now dig into thousands morebooks, journals, and archives in his search for thetruth. When he found another piece that fitted intothe jigsaw, he was so happy that his face beamedwith joy. Over the years, his library reached such asize that he had to build a new house across thestreet for it.

Modest in appearance and lifestyle, most of hisearnings went into a foundation named after thegreat German dermatologist Paul Gersson Unna,dedicated to dermatological research and edu-cation. Professor Ippen was a prominent represen-tative of the nowadays extremely rare breed of uni-versal academicians (or scholars in the purest senseof the word). He was a realistic idealist. This atti-tude and his lifelong altruistic dedication toscience were the reasons for the medical faculty ofWitten/Herdecke bestowing on him the title ofhonorary doctor. Unfortunately, his prematuredeath prevented him from accepting this recog-nition personally. Friends, students, and patientsalike feel a painful and incompensable loss. Ourthoughts are with his admirable wife, Dr.med.Margot Ippen, who has shielded him from manydistractions and made possible this unusually richlife.

Silvia Schauder, GottingenPeter J. Frosch, Dortmund