At the end of February 2020, Hans Bosmüller was one of the first in Baden-Württemberg to test positive for the corona virus.
Tübingen – At the end of February 2020, Hans Bösmüller was one of the first in Baden-Württemberg to test positive for the corona virus.
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Hans Bösmüller works in a laboratory in the pathology department of Tübingen University Hospital. © Tom Weller / dpa
The senior physician in pathology at the Tübingen University Clinic was caught by his daughter, who was in Milan with a friend from Göppingen. “When she came back from the trip, we hugged each other and had dinner,” says the 60-year-old.
But the next day his daughter’s friend was concerned, went to the doctor and tested positive for the corona virus. That was the first known case at the time.
The clinic that Bösmüller visits with his daughter on the same evening keeps them both there for a week, because they are also infected. “I already had a loss of taste and muscle aches.”
In the home quarantine, a fever and cough are added later. “Since then the virologists and immunologists have been very interested in my blood. In total, they have taken an estimated one liter from me,” says Bösmüller.
He belongs to a pool of people who have been infected for the first time and whose cellular immune system is continuously examined. The aim is to determine how many immune-competent memory cells have developed.
The doctor does not feel any long-term consequences of the infection and has not yet been vaccinated because he is not one of the risk groups. “The decisive factor is a high level of vaccination coverage among the population, even if a final assessment of the effectiveness and sustainability of the approved vaccines is not yet possible,” explains Bösmüller.
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Hans Bösmüller is sitting at a desk in the Pathological Institute of the University Hospital Tübingen at a microscope. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Bösmüller has autopsied the bodies of eleven people who have died of a Sars-CoV-2 infection. © Tom Weller / dpa
He is addressing the discussion about the currently available vaccine from the manufacturer Astrazeneca. According to studies, this has a lower degree of effectiveness in the South African mutant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. “The most important thing is that we don’t get any more difficult courses.”
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Bösmüller has autopsied the bodies of dozens of people who have died of Sars-CoV-2 infection. The patients were between 18 years and 89 years old and most of them had previous illnesses. Pathology Tübingen is part of a network of pathologies in Baden-Württemberg, whose Covid-19 research is funded and financially supported by the Ministry of Science in Stuttgart. More than 100 autopsies have been performed on these so far, reports Bösmüller.
He comes from Linz, his father was Austrian, his mother German, both doctors. For several years he has been working in the university town of Baden-Württemberg and commuting back and forth between his adopted Swabian home and his old home. But he doesn’t like the beer in this country that good. “The beer ceremony on Friday evening after a working week is sacred to me. I always have Linz beer here,” says Bösmüller.
According to his own statements, the doctor feels very comfortable in Tübingen. Among other things, because success is valued and promoted here. “You can buy fame. You have to acquire envy”: I never had to think about this aphorism of the Austrian working world with the Swabians. “
On weekends at home, Bösmüller works in the garden and prefers to stay at home. “It’s best to sleep in my bed,” he says. Sometimes he and his wife visit Vienna, about two hours’ drive east of Linz. Otherwise you can find him more often in the kitchen as a hobby cook. His favorite dish is fish soup. “And I have a free hand at the stove and can relax.”
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