Dreyer was born in
Shanghai, where his father was stationed as an officer with the
Royal Danish Navy. In 1900 he earned his medical degree from the
University of Copenhagen, and subsequently began work in the field of
bacteriology, for which he spent a period of time at
Finsen Institute in
Copenhagen. In 1907 he became the first professor of pathology at
Oxford University, a position he maintained until 1934, the year he died. During
World War I, Dreyer was a consultant to the British
Royal Flying Corps. He was elected a
fellow of the Royal Society in May 1921. Dreyer specialized in the fields of
bacteriology and
virology, performing extensive studies involving
vaccines and
immunization. He conducted investigations on variations of
blood volume among different
species, and studied the relationship of blood volume to an animals' surface area and weight. Dreyer is also credited with introducing a modification of the
Widal test for diagnosis of
typhoid and
paratyphoid. He is remembered today for his work in
respiratory physiology, including experiments with
oxygen in regards to
aviation. During World War I, he developed a device that was capable of administering low oxygen mixtures to test the effects of
hypoxia in aviators. He also developed a successful
oxygen delivery system, and was responsible for installation of the first
low-pressure chamber at a British learning institution. When
George Ingle Finch was preparing for the
1922 British Mount Everest expedition he was advised by Dreyer about the likely need for additional oxygen when climbing at high altitude. Finch's performance at simulated altitudes in the low-pressure chamber was also assessed and Dreyer proposed appropriate flow rates for the oxygen at different altitudes. As a result of this meeting, bottled oxygen was taken by the party on the 1922 expedition. ==See also==