Harry M. Rose, M.D.

John E. Bourne Professor and Chair of Microbiology
Member, National Academy of Sciences
M.D., Cornell University

Rheumatoid arthritis, antibiotic mechanisms, virology and vaccines

Background
Harry M. Rose was appointed as John E. Borne Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology in 1952. At the time, it was known as the Department of Bacteriology, but Rose changed the name to the Department of Microbiology, to better encompass the other research taking place in the department. He placed great emphasis on teaching as well as research. After his retirement, he was appointed John E. Borne Professor Emeritus by the Trustees of Columbia University.

Research
Dr. Rose is best known for developing the first reliable test for rheumatoid arthritis, which became known as the Rose-Waaler or Waaler-Rose test, since it was independently developed by both Rose and the Norwegian bacteriologist, Erik Waaler. In 1948, Dr. Rose conducted tests on the blood of patients with rickettsialpox, and noticed that blood from a patient that also had rheumatoid arthritis caused an agglutination reaction in which cells mixed in from sheep’s blood clumped together.  In collaboration with Dr. Charles Ragan, Rose applied the test to blood from a large number of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and found that the agglutination reaction had predictive value in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. These findings led to the creation of a diagnostic test for rheumatoid arthritis that was 90% accurate. At the time, this test was considered the first and only practical laboratory test that allowed for diagnostic differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis from other diseases. It was later shown that the autoantibody known as rheumatoid factor was responsible for the agglutination reaction detected by the Rose-Waaler test, and that this factor contributed to the generation of immune complexes, thereby contributing to disease. In addition to his work on rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Rose carried out pioneering studies in antibiotic mechanisms and virology, and made great contributions to the development of the influenza vaccine.

The Harry M. Rose Memorial Lecture
After his death on November 4, 1986, the Department of Microbiology & Immunology established the Harry M. Rose Memorial Lecture in Infectious Diseases with the Department of Medicine. This was made possible by donations from many of Dr. Rose’s former students and colleagues, and by the generous assistance of the family of Dr. Rose. Since the first lecture by Dr. J.A. Levy in 1988, over 20 lectures from renowned infectious disease researchers, including three Nobel laureates, have been given to honor Dr. Rose for his contributions to scientific research, medicine, and education.