Armstrong – Table of Contents

During Armstrong’s tenure as Chief of the Division from 1941 to 1948, and for
several years beyond, the Division had many distinguished investigators. Dr. Karl Habel
(32) succeeded in cultivating the mumps virus in fertilized chicken eggs and devised
serological tests for its presence. Mumps was an important disease of military recruits
during World War II. From Habel’s discoveries others were able to develop vaccines that
are now used widely and effectively to prevent mumps. Habel also studied rubella
(German measles) (32). He succeeded in isolating and passing the virus through fertile
chicken eggs and then successively through monkeys. This accomplishment enabled the
development of a vaccine that helped reduce the threat of infant malformation (congenital
rubella syndrome) caused by this virus in pregnant women. Habel succeeded Armstrong
as Chief in 1948. Armstrong also provided help and guidance when Huebner began to
study the Coxsackie viruses in 1949 (33).