adult special care

Medical Developments of Sickle Cell

Although the names Dr. A.P. Kraus and Dr. Lorraine Kraus are well known in Memphis to anyone interested in Sickle Cell disease, their work – spanning more than five decades -– has resulted in national and international acclaim and has made a dramatic impact on the way Sickle Cell disease is diagnosed and treated. The culmination of their years of research has made Memphis home to one of the most respected sickle cell centers.

In 1948, Alfred Kraus, a native of Vienna, Austria, was asked to work with Dr. Karl Singer – also a native of Vienna - at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. It was the year of working with Singer that first piqued Kraus’ interest in Sickle Cell disease. In his history of the Diggs-Kraus Sickle Cell Center, Kraus noted, “Dr. Singer had developed a simple test to determine the presence of hemoglobin S by using a culture of a bacterium to use up oxygen and to make the red cells containing hemoglobin S sickle.”

Michael Reese Hospital is also where Kraus met Lorraine, where she was working as a medical technician. The couple married in 1944 and, in 1952, Alfred Kraus moved to Memphis to the University of Tennessee in the Division of Hematology to teach as an assistant professor, and Lorraine started work on her Ph.D. in biochemistry. Within the year, Alfred started caring for Sickle Cell patients with Dr. L.W. Diggs.

Alfred Kraus and Karl Singer stayed in contact as Kraus worked in the Sickle Cell Center. He explained, “When Dr. Singer found a family with an odd combination of the hemoglobin C, with a member of the family living in Memphis, Dr. Singer sent a coworker to Memphis to collect blood from this individual. I was able to locate the person and eventually participate in the publication of the study of this family.” The resulting paper, Studies of Abnormal Hemoglobin X: A new Syndrome: Hemoglobin C Thallassemia Disease, by Singer and Kraus, was published in 1954.

After a study of the in vitro synthesis of hemogloblins A and S, in 1956, Lorraine Kraus received her Ph.D. from UT. Known by her coworkers as “Doctor Lorraine,” she and Alfred began to work together in researching Sickle Cell disease while Alfred was continuously involved in patient care.

In the mid 1960s, as an associate professor in the department of Biochemistry at UT, Dr. Lorraine and her researchers discovered a unique hemoglobin mutation. Having trouble believing the patient’s clinical history, she asked her research assistants to, “Bring me some of that blood!” Her discovery of “Hemoglobin Memphis/S” was first reported in a national meeting in 1965 and published in Biochemistry in 1966.

Lorraine and Alfred Kraus both agree that the 1971 Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell disease – commonly known as the Natural History of the disease was monumental in understanding and improving treatment of the disease. The study eventually involved 23 institutions across the country. Alfred Kraus explained, “A lack of uniformity among the various centers could be a problem. Eventually, all laboratory procedures were reviewed by Dr. W. Rosse of Duke University and all X-rays were read by Dr. J. Sebes – here in Memphis at UT.” Alfred Kraus explained the uniformity between all of the institutions helped the study with findings that were ultimately reported in several medical publications and provided some of the most important insight into the disease. Based on findings from the study, Alfred Kraus introduced the testing for hemoglobinopathies of all newborns in the state of Tennessee. The institution of penicillin prophylaxis in all newborns found to be positive for Sickle Cell disease saved many lives.

Dr. Lorraine explained, “In Sickle Cell patients, changes in the blood vessels in the eyes were extensively documented and used for clinical diagnosis. The special surgery developed to correct changes in bone joints is still assisting Sickle Cell patients today.”

The Krauses played a major role in UT being granted $1 million from the National Institute of Health in 1972 and being named as one of 10 national sites for the comprehensive research on Sickle Cell disease. Dr. Alfred Kraus was named director of the new Sickle Cell center. As an expert on Sickle Cell disease, he sat on the Department of Health and Human Services Committee on Sickle Cell Disease.

The Krauses work extends far beyond the borders of Memphis and the United States. In 1955, the couple helped establish a department of Laboratory medicine at the University of Indonesia – with Alfred bringing all of the slides and teaching materials. The resulting cooperative training program with the University of California still benefits patients today. They were both also significant in the establishment of an affiliation with the University of Hiroski in Japan. Alfred Kraus was asked to teach hematology in Jamaica at the University of West Indies where the head of hematology accepted assignments from the World Health Organization. He also spent time in Jamaica assisting in the examinations of students seeking their medical degrees.

Alfred and Lorraine have published many papers and abstracts during their 50+ years of dedication to the field. At different times, they both won the National Service Award from the National Alumni Association of the University of Tennessee. Alfred was named Professor Emeritus 1981 but continued to consult with patients and staff. Lorraine says he has been supportive in everything she has researched and written throughout their careers.

Although Lorraine Kraus is proud of her and her husband’s accomplishments, she is quick to point out, “The patients must be at the forefront and must come first.” With the Krauses, that has always been the case.