Quick Facts
Biography
Wilhelm Siegmund Frei (September 5, 1885, Neustadt – January 27, 1943) was a German dermatologist best known for his contributions to Durand-Nicolas-Favre disease, a sexually transmitted disease found mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. He is also known for the Frei Test, which was developed in 1925 for the detection of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV).
Early life
His father, Emil Frei, was a mining firm director, from Neustadt, Upper Silesia. His mother was Frederika Ring, who came from Austria. Wilhelm had two sisters, Gerta Frei (1887 — presumably killed by Nazis) and Josephina Frei (1888).
Life
Wilhelm studied medicine in Freiburg, Germany, and went on to get his doctorate in Göttingen in 1913. He met Magda Frankfurter (1885–1973) when they were both studying medicine in Freiburg and was married on January 12, 1912. They had their first child Marianne, later that year on November 7, 1912, and their second child Fritz was born on December 12, 1915.
Due to the rise of the Nazis and bad times looming ahead in Germany, he immigrated to New York with his family and went to work at the Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx from 1937 until he fell ill and died on January 27, 1943, leaving behind his wife and three children at the age of 58.