Name Preben Magnus | ||
Preben von Magnus (25 February 1912 - 9 August 1973) was a Danish virologist who gave name to the Von Magnus phenomenon.
Born Preben Christian Alexander von Magnus in Copenhagen to Livonian landowner Constantin Woldemar von Magnus and attending physician, Doctor of Medical Science Rigmor von Magnus (née Herbst), von Magnus graduated from Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium in 1931 and became Candidate of Medicine from the University of Copenhagen in 1939. From 1941 he worked at Statens Serum Institut, and published together with his wife Herdis von Magnus in 1944, the initial study that led to the discovery of what today is known as the Von Magnus phenomenon. von Magnus became Doctor of Medical Science in 1952, when defending his doctoral dissertation Propagation of the PR8 strain of influenza A virus in chick embryos. In 1958, von Magnus was the first to identify the monkeypox virus.
von Magnus was a member of Akademiet for de Tekniske Videnskaber from 1960, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters from 1968, and became Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1965. He received a Doctor honoris causa from Glasgow University in 1971.