Armas Ralph Gustaf Gräsbeck

Armas Ralph Gustaf Grasbeck (July 6, 1930 – January 22, 2016), best known as Ralph Gräsbeck, was a Finnish physician and clinical biochemist. He was best known for his contribution to the identification and naming of the Imerslund-Gräsbeck syndrome.

He made numerous other observations on the vitamin B12 metabolism including studies on fish tapeworm anemia, the purification and isolation of intrinsic factor from gastric juice (1965) and the description of R-protein (today called haptocorrin). He is also known for the introduction of the concept of reference values. He graduated as an MD from Helsinki University in 1953 and subsequently trained in the 1950s in biochemistry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and at Medical Nobel Institute, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. His PhD (DMSci) dissertation was presented in 1956 and in 1959 he became docent at Helsinki University and the years 1960-1990 he was Chief Physician of the Laboratory Department of Maria Hospital, Helsinki.He was one of the founders of the Minerva Foundation Institute for Medical Research at the University of Helsinki and served as its director from 1971-1993. He became Professor in 1982. He has been board member and chairman of many Finnish, Scandinavian and International organizations and received numerous honors including Charter Member, Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, the junior Jahre prize of Oslo University, the silver medal of the Finnish Society (Academy) of Sciences and Letters, and Doctor honoris causa of Poincaré University, Nancy, France.