EMIL G. KLARMANN, MAN OF SCIENCE By Lous SCHWARTZ, M.D., and EDWARD SAGARIN MK. SAGAKIN AND I FEEL honored to have been chosen from among his host of friends to frame for you a word picture of Emil Klarmann, the scientist. We appreciate the opportunity to sketch for you his many- sided scientific accomplishments. Emil Klarmann is a scientist who has devoted his life to the formulation and the production of better and safer cosmetics and germicides. His achievements, from his earliest work on proteins, when he collaborated with the renowned Emil Abderhalden, to his most recent studies on dentifrices, deodorants, hormones, and germicides, illustrate the width and versatility of his studies in his specialized fields. It is because of the high caliber of work like this, that physicians, derma- tologists, and sanitarians now have a better understanding of the research, knowledge, and effort that are put into the manufacture of modern cos- metics and antibacterials. Dr. Klarmann has by his work won the re- spect and good will of those in the medical profession with whom he has come in contact, and he also enjoys the confidence of government officials in the regulatory fields affecting the activities of the cosmetic and disin- fectant industries. In my former position as a government dermatologist on the staff of the United States Public Health Service I had known of his work in the field of antiseptics and cosmetics long before I met him, and I was impressed by the precise recording of the details of his experiments and the logical de- ductions he made from them. Since meeting him more than ten years ago, and learning to know him well, my respect for his wide knowledge of chemistry and the related arts has increased in addition, I have found that he has a profound knowledge of the dermatologic effects of cosmetics and of chemicals in general. True to the high ideals of scientific ethics he has published his findings so that others may read them, and make use of them. Dr. Klarmann is the author of some 50 publications and has been granted 15 American and many foreign patents during the thirty years he has spent with the in- dustry--all with one employer. He has directed the formulation and supervised the manufacture of the products, and has built for his em- ployers a reputation for honesty and integrity. The antiseptic and cos-

EMIL G. KLARMANN, MAN OF SCIENCE 61 metic preparations of this company stand among the highest in the field and are known the world over. In his efforts to insure the safety and effectiveness of these products, he was among the first to have his firm retain reputable physicians, derma- tologists and endocrinologists to test the proposed preparations upon humans after they have passed all other tests. Long before the government passed legislation restricting cosmetic claims in labeling and advertising, he had carefully scrutinized all copy relating to his firms' products, and he deleted from it the exaggerations which the imaginative copy-writers so often use. As a result, his com- pany has won an enviable reputation for the modesty and accuracy of their printed word. On several occasions when the cosmetic industry was under fire, Emil Klarmann took a prominent part in its defense. For instance, when the State of Louisiana contemplated the ban on hormone-containing cosmetics Dr. Klarmann, convinced by studies fostered by his company as to the harmlessness and, in suitable cases, as to the beneficial effects of such cos- metics, became a leader among cosmetic chemists who helped to gather the expert evidence which was successfully used to prevent Louisiana from barring hormone creams. If the case had been lost in Louisiana similar action by other states would surely have followed. He repeated this per- formance on several later occasions demanding similar action. When the Delaney Bill was hanging over the industry, Dr. Klarmann took a prominent part in questioning the necessity for such legislation, even though the company he represents had nothing to lose, because it had long been doing all that the Bill wanted to compel every cosmetic manu- facturer to do. To mention a few of his many scientific achievements, he, in 1926, pre- pared, studied, and published his work on the germicidal action of the halogen derivatives of dihydroxydiphenylmethane. This work fore- shadowed and laid the groundwork for the development of such anti- septics as hexachlorophene and related chemicals. He studied the fun- damental relations between the chemical structure and antibacterial ac- tion of many compounds, thereby promoting the development of new germicides of high potency and low toxicity. He went deeply into the problem of testing methods when it appeared that the usual method of determining phenol coefficients gave an exaggerated value to the anti- bacterial properties attributed to particular germicides or classes of germi- cides. As a result of his special knowledge, he formulated and developed the well-known disinfectants and antiseptics sold by his company, which enjoy an international reputation. Dr. Klarmann has also worked and written extensively in the cosmetic field. Worthy of note among his many contributions to cosmetics are