Paul Brombacher Explained

Paul Jacob Brombacher (10 October 1930 – 2 July 2020) was a Dutch clinical chemist, professor at Maastricht University and the head clinical chemist at in Heerlen.

Personal life

Paul Brombacher was born on 10 October 1930 in Rotterdam, Netherlands and he died on 2 July 2020 in Heerlen, Netherlands.^[1] His wife, Prijna Everdina Brombacher-Binnendijk was born in Noordwijk, Netherlands on 23 October 1931 and she died on 6 April 2021 in Heerlen, Netherlands.^[2] His sister, Jannie Brombacher was a major in the Royal Netherlands Army.^[3]

Paul spoke fluent Dutch, German, English, Italian, French and intermediate Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic.

Academic career

In 1955, Brombacher completed a Master's degree in Chemistry with a minor in Physiology at the Free University of Amsterdam.^[4] Afterwards he worked as a clinical chemist in the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis (hospital) of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. In 1960, he became the head of the clinical chemistry laboratory of the hospital and the clinical chemistry research laboratory of the Free University of Amsterdam. In April 1964, he became the new head clinical chemist at (later renamed to) in Heerlen, Netherlands.^[5]

On 9 May 1975, he received a Doctor of Medicine from the Free University of Amsterdam. His research on adrenal cortex hormones took place entirely in De Wever Hospital. Despite not being funded, he continued his research during his private time due to the lack of a research budget.

In December 1994 he retired from De Wever Hospital after working there for thirty years, and later in 1995 he retired from professorship at the Rijksuniversiteit Limburg (now Maastricht University).^[6]

Publications

Brombacher was the Dutch national editor of the European Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry in 1991.^[7] He was the lead author for works in the following peer-reviewed journals:

• Clinica Chimica Acta^{[8] [9] [10]}
• Annals of Clinical Biochemistry^[11]
• Clinical Chemistry^[12]
• The Lancet^[13]
• Drug Research^[14]

Awards

• 1991 he received the Gorter en De Graaff-prijs (and De Graaf Prize) for his clinical chemistry work.^[15]
• In 1994 he became an officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.^[16]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Overlijdensbericht Prof. dr. Paul Jacob Brombacher . Obituary of Prof. Dr. Paul Jacob Brombacher . 2023-07-02 . . nl.
2. Web site: Overlijdensbericht Prijna Everdina Brombacher-Binnendijk . Obituary of Prijna Everdina Brombacher-Binnendijk . 2023-07-02 . . nl.
3. Web site: 4 July 1988 . Jannie Herma Brombacher . 2024-06-11 . Nationaal Archief.
4. News: 10 May 1975 . De Promotie van Dr. Brombacher: Heerlens Chemicus werd doctor in geneeskunde . nl . The Promotion of Dr. Brombacher: Heerlen Chemist becomes Doctor of Medicine . .
5. News: 14 December 1963 . Aan St Jozefziekenhuis, Dhr. Brombacher opvolger van dr. Hollman . nl . To St Joseph's Hospital, Mr. Brombacher succeeds Dr. Hollman . .
6. News: Goossen . Hans . 14 December 1994 . Klinisch Chemicus Paul Brombacher verlaat De Wever 'Ziekenhuis is geen schoenfabriek' . nl . Clinical Chemist Paul Brombacher leaves De Wever. 'Hospital is not a shoe factory' . .
7. 1991 . Editorials . . 29 . 1–2 . 10.1515/cclm.1991.29.1.1 . 1437-4331.
8. Brombacher . P. J. . Paul Brombacher . Cremers . H. M. H. G. . Mol . M. J. . Muijrers . P. H. J. . Van Der Plas . P. M. . Verheesen . P. E. . 1977-03-15 . A gas chromatographic method for the estimation of phenprocoumon, 3-(1-phenyl-propyl)-4-hydroxycoumarin (marcoumar®, liquamar®), in human serum or plasma . . en . 75 . 3 . 443–448 . 10.1016/0009-8981(77)90364-3 . 0009-8981 . 856495.
9. Brombacher . P.J. . Paul Brombacher . Gijzen . A.H.J. . Janssens . H.H.P. . Soons . M.P.J. . January 1975 . The raising and characterization of cortisol-binding antiserum . . en . 58 . 2 . 173–176 . 10.1016/S0009-8981(75)80009-X . 1122640.
10. Brombacher . P.J. . Paul Brombacher . Gijzen . A.H.J. . Soons . M.P.J. . February 1972 . A systematic investigation on the assay of vitamin b12 in serum by radio-isotope dilution . . en . 36 . 2 . 493–498 . 10.1016/0009-8981(72)90025-3 . 4550435.
11. Brombacher . P J . Paul Brombacher . Henkel . E . Kessler . A C . Van Dieijen-Visser . M P . September 1988 . Multicentre Study of a New Test for TSH-Screening in Blood Spots . . en . 25 . 5 . 530–535 . 10.1177/000456328802500509 . 0004-5632 . 3069046 . free.
12. Brombacher . P J . Paul Brombacher . Gijzen . A H J . Verheesen . P E . 1 November 1968 . Rapid Methods for the Determination of Pregnanediol in Urine . . 14 . 11 . 1091–1096 . 10.1093/clinchem/14.11.1091 . 5721970 . free.
13. Brombacher . P.J. . Paul Brombacher . Maesen . F.P.V. . Gijzen . A.H.J. . February 1975 . 1-18 Corticotrophin and Allergy to Tetracosactrin-Depot . . en . 305 . 7904 . 456 . 10.1016/S0140-6736(75)91528-7 . 48646 . 6899162.
14. Brombacher . Paul . Paul Brombacher . Cremers . H. M. . Verheesen . P. E. . Quanjel-Schreurs . R. A. . 1977-01-01 . Quantitative determination of sodium-o-[(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-amino]phenylacetate (diclofenac) in human blood plasma or serum ]. . English . 27 . 8 . 1597–1599 . 303107.
15. Web site: Prijzen . Prizes . 2023-07-02 . Nederlandse Vereniging voor Klinische Chemie en Laboratoriumgeneeskunde . nl.
16. News: 19 December 1994 . Brombacher Officier in Orde van Oranje Nassau . nl . Officer Brombacher in the Order of Orange Nassau . .