Alphonse Dochez

Alphonse Raymond Dochez (April 21, 1882 – June 30, 1964) was an American physician and microbiologist. His research focused on infectious diseases, including scarlet fever, the common cold, and pneumococcal pneumonia. Dochez is credited with developing the first effective treatment for scarlet fever. His work also established viruses as the cause of the common cold.

Career After graduation, Dochez worked at the laboratory of pathology at Hopkins investigating the effects of iodine-free diets on animals. After one year, he applied to work at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now Rockefeller University). He obtained a fellowship position with Eugene Opie. His coworker was Oswald Avery, with whom he shared an apartment for decades. Dochez was a devout Catholic.

Dochez served as president of the American Association of Immunologists, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. In 1933, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He received honorary degrees from New York University (1925), Yale University (1926), and Case Western Reserve University (1931).

In addition to his research career, Dochez was remembered for encouraging and engaging with all members of his lab.