Ernst Friedberger (May 17, 1875 - January 25, 1932) was a German immunologist and hygienist who was a native of Giessen.

In 1899 he received his medical doctorate at the University of Giessen

University of Giessen

The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...

, and in 1901 became an assistant at the University of Konigsberg

University of Königsberg

The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....

, where in 1903 he was habilitated as a lecturer in hygiene

Hygiene

Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...

. In 1908 he attained the directorship of experimental therapy at the Institute of Pharmacology

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

 at the University of Berlin. From 1915 to 1926 he was professor of hygiene at the University of Greifswald, and afterwards director of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Immunology in Berlin-Dahlem

Dahlem (Berlin)

Dahlem is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in southwestern Berlin. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a part of the former borough of Zehlendorf. Dahlem is one of the most affluent parts of the city and home to the main campus of the Free University of Berlin with the...

.

Friedberger is remembered for his investigations of anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...

, and his development of a toxic principle concerning mammalian serum that was treated with aggregated immunoglobulins. He coined the term "anaphylatoxin

Anaphylatoxin

Anaphylatoxins, or anaphylotoxins, are fragments that are produced as part of the activation of the complement system.. Complement components C3, C4 and C5 are large glycoproteins that have important functions in the immune response and host defense...

" to describe this hypothetical poison when he noticed that treated animals displayed an anaphylactoid shock reaction.